Trichy: Lakhs of litres of drinking water went waste after a major burst in the drinking water pipeline under Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Scheme near Manapparai in Trichy district on Sunday evening.The burst took place in the line carrying Cauvery water at Kavalkaranpatti on Manapparai–Thuvarankurichi road. The pipeline transports the river water from Vathiyam near Kulithalai in Karur district to Melur in Madurai district. Water gushed out with tremendous force, shooting up several feet high for more than an hour, flooding the Thuvarankurichi-Vaiyampatti road.On being informed by residents, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board stopped pumping. TWAD staff later plugged the ruptured section of the pipeline. Following the incident, residents expressed serious concerns over the poor maintenance of pipelines under the inter-district Cauvery drinking water scheme.