Pipeline breach hits supply in Matunga

MUMBAI: A 10% water cut and a pipeline burst compounded the problems of residents of Sion and Matunga on Friday. While citizens called for tankers to save the day, the civic body said that the repairs were completed in the morning and supply restored. Sion corporator Ravi Raja said, that his entire constituency near Sion transit camp received very little or no water at all.
"I got calls from several people complaining of water problems in my ward. Many places got water only for a few minutes and with very low pressure. We had no option but to order for tankers," he said. A civic official said that the repairs were restored by Friday morning. "But those areas that have water supply in the early hours were affected," said an official.
Antop Hill resident Mohammed Khalim Shaikh said, "We have been facing a lot of problems since Thursday. We have not been receiving regular supply after the pipeline burst. We have also lodged a complaint with the civic body but have
got no response. The BMC released water on Friday afternoon for 15 minutes. It didn't help but the pressure was very low." Initially, the BMC claimed that the MMRDA caused the pipeline burst, but it retracted later. Meanwhile, the BMC has taken a U-turn stating that the MMRDA is not responsible for the pipeline burst. This comes after the civic body was quick to say that the MMRDA was responsible for the incident. "The pipeline burst took place due to friction and the MMRDA is not responsible for it," said a civic official.
The BMC, however, has sought legal advice over the future course of action. The contractor has been asked to suspend work till October 1. "The contractor is aware of certain steps, informing the civic officials while carrying out any work, that it needs to take. They may be fined depending on the magnitude of the incident," said a senior hydraulic department official. According to a civic official, the contractor allegedly has given the wrong information about its existing bidding capacity. "The contractor has not updated its bid commitment certificate about the existing work that it is handling," added the official.
To add to the pipeline burst, the BMC's 10 per cent water cut that was imposed on Thursday to facilitate repairs to a 72-inch Tansa west pipeline which runs from Powai to Sahar made things worse. According to the hydraulic department, there was leakage problem in the pipeline. The hydraulic department's 10 per cent water cut from 10 am on Thursday to 10 am Friday in Colaba, Fort, Esplanade, Bhuleshwar, Crawford Market, Dhobi Talao, Tardeo, Girgaum, Walkeshwar, Mahalaxmi, Nana Chowk, Prabhadevi, Worli, Chinchpokli, Dadar and Mahim caused problems to residents.
A 10 per cent water cut coupled with a pipeline burst compounded the problems of residents of Sion, Antop Hill and Matunga. While citizens called for tankers to save the day, the civic body said that the repairs we completed in the morning and supply restored.
Sion corpoator Ravi Raja said that his entire constituency near Sion transit camp received very little or no water at all. "I got calls from several people complaining of water problems. Many places got water only for a few minutes and with very low pressure. We had no option but to supply tankers," he said.
A civic official said that the repairs were restored by Friday morning. "But those areas that have water supply in the early hours were affected," said an official.
Antop Hill resident Mohammed Khalim Shaikh said, "We have been facing a lot of problem since Thursday. We have not been receiving proper supply after the pipeline burst. We have also lodged a complaint with the civic body but have got no response. The civic body released water on Friday afternoon but it was just for 15 minutes. It didn't help but the pressure was very low."
Meanwhile, the BMC has taken a U-turn stating that the MMRDA is not responsible for the pipeline burst. This comes after the civic body was quick to say that the MMRDA was responsible for the incident. "The pipeline burst took place due to friction and the MMRDA is not responsible for it," said a civic official. The civic body, however, has sought legal advice over the future course of action. The contractor has been asked to suspend work till October 1. "The contractor is aware of certain steps, informing the civic officials while carrying out any work, that it needs to take. They may be fined depending on the magnitude of the incident," said a senior hydraulic department official. According to a civic official, the contractor allegedly has given the wrong information about its existing bidding capacity. "The contractor has not updated its bid commitment certificate about the existing work that it is handling," added the official.
To add to the pipeline burst, the BMC's 10 per cent water cut that was imposed on Thursday to facilitate repairs to a 72-inch Tansa west pipeline which runs from Powai to Sahar made things worse. According to the hydraulic department, there was leakage problem in the pipeline. The hydraulic department's 10 per cent water cut from 10 am on Thursday to 10 am Friday in Colaba, Fort, Esplanade, Bhuleshwar, Crawford Market, Dhobi Talao, Tardeo, Girgaum, Walkeshwar, Mahalaxmi, Nana Chowk, Prabhadevi, Worli, Chinchpokli, Dadar and Mahim caused problems to residents.