The 1,800mm water main pipe at Veravali Service Reservoir in Andheri area once again burst on Thursday. Heavy leakage was observed from the 1,800mm diameter inlet to Veravali Reservoir No 3 at SEEPZ Junction, MIDC, Andheri (East).
Affected areas
Juhu Koliwada, Andheri (West), Four Bungalows, Vile Parle (West) and JVPD (K [West] Ward) were affected by water cuts attributed to repair works.
BMC officials said it was necessary to isolate the leak by closing the inlet of Veravali Reservoir No 3. The administration appealed to residents to use water judiciously during the period.
Residents' woes
Dhaval Shah, director of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association, said: “Residents are worried that like last time, repairs would go on for several days and they will have to suffer without water for a prolonged period. Hope this leakage isn’t big and is plugged on war footing.”
Residents voiced their frustrations as the BMC failed to resolve supply issues within the expected time-frame. Despite allowing an additional two hours for the repairs, residents were still left waiting for water as the newspaper went to press.
The leakage appeared to be substantial, indicating that the repair work might require more time. Varun Sethi, a resident of JVPD, said: “We waited for three hours for water, but the promised timing has elapsed. What kind of management is this? Water was not supplied at K West’s JVPD in the given time.”
Farhad Tarapore highlighted the inefficiency of the BMC’s approach, stating, “Instead of proactively inspecting and repairing pipelines citywide to prevent leaks, we wait for major leakages to occur before taking action. This exacerbates the existing water scarcity issues.”
Notice issued, water supply halted
Th K (West)Ward issued a notice of water cut at 12.30pm, but water supply had already been halted in some areas by then. By the time the residents were notified, the scheduled water supply timings for Juhu Koliwada and Andheri (West) had passed. Furthermore, the date of the supply closure was not specified on the BMC poster, contributing to confusion.
On November 30, the 1,800mm main pipeline of Veravali had burst due to drilling work for a metro project. The BMC recovered the cost of repairs from the contractor and penalised them for the wasted water. The civic body had promised to fix it in 24 hours on December 2. However, it took a 50-hour operation with 100 civic employees to repair the pipeline. To get supply it almost took a week.
The hydraulic engineer in-charge explained the water supply process, stating, “We distribute water zone by zone, which inevitably leads to delays in restoring supply to all areas simultaneously. Our repair work commenced in the morning and concluded by 4pm. The major leakage was caused by a damaged air valve in the 1,800mm diameter line, necessitating an extensive isolation process that spanned several hours. Additionally, dewatering the area required five to six hours, followed by refilling the water. We have successfully replaced the faulty valve. However, it will take some time for the system to normalise. Residents can expect full water supply by tomorrow or the day after.”
