MSEDCL excavation hits water supply in Yamunanagar; second such incident in 48 hours

Pune: Water supply to several parts of Yamunanagar in Nigdi was disrupted for nearly three hours on Wednesday after a Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) excavation team damaged a municipal distribution pipeline. This marks the second such incident in the locality within the last 48 hours.

Vijaysinha Bhosale, executive engineer, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)’s water supply department, attributed the recurring damage to a lack of coordination by the agency undertaking the digging.

“The pipeline was damaged during MSEDCL’s ongoing work, affecting water supply across the locality. Our team carried out emergency repairs and restored the supply by noon. The disruption lasted approximately three hours,” Bhosale said. He added that the civic body intends to issue a formal letter to MSEDCL demanding better coordination to prevent future infrastructure damage.

The disruption has hit residents particularly hard, as the PCMC already operates on an alternate-day water supply schedule. Any breakage in the network effectively extends the dry period for households by an additional day.

The recurring service lapses sparked a protest by local activist Baba Parab, who alleged that the damage led to large-scale water wastage at a time when residents are already struggling with scarcity.

“Significant amounts of water are being lost due to these avoidable accidents. Despite the scale of the disruption, no civic official responded promptly to the residents’ calls,” Parab claimed.

Addressing the technical cause of the accidents, Bhosale said most PCMC water pipelines are laid at a depth of 2 to 2.5 feet. He said that any agency, private or govt, must consult with the municipal corporation before digging to map out underground utility infrastructure.

An MSEDCL official confirmed that the excavation was part of a project to lay power lines for “back feeding” in the area. “While the pipeline was damaged on both Tuesday and Wednesday, we are now taking extra precautions. The work is expected to be completed within the next 48 hours,” the official said.