Gurgaon: Water supply to a large part of the city was disrupted on Thursday after a major leakage was detected in a key transmission line.The leakage in the 1,300mm rising main pipeline — carrying treated water from Basai water treatment plant (WTP) to the boosting station in Sector 16 — affected several residential, commercial and industrial areas across the city. The station, in turn, feeds a large network covering several old Gurgaon colonies as well as major residential and commercial areas.The leak that occurred near Basai was detected late on Wednesday night, following which teams were deployed to locate and repair the damaged portion of the pipeline. However, rainfall during the night delayed the repair work. Officials said the work was in progress and normal water supply was expected to resume by Thursday evening.The disruption affected areas including Basai village, Kadipur, Chakarpur, Nathupur, Sikanderpur, Garhi, Civil Lines, Hans Enclave, sectors 10A, 14, 15, 15/216, 17, 18, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 37, 39, 40, 41 and 43. Several upscale residential areas, including DLF phase 1 to 4, Sushant Lok-1 and South City-1, besides Udyog Vihar phases 1 to 5, were also affected.A resident said repeated faults in the ageing pipeline were becoming a concern for residents. Families were being forced to depend on private tankers whenever the supply was disrupted, residents said.“We did not have water throughout the day, so we had to call tankers to manage our needs. These tankers are expensive and the additional cost puts a burden on residents,” RWA president of A block of DLF-1 Aditya Andlay told TOI.Ramesh Vashisht, a resident of Sector 15 part (II), said, “There is uncertainty about when the supply will actually be restored. We don’t have enough storage. Any disruption pinches really hard.”GMDA executive engineer Abhinav Verma told TOI, “Water supply from the Sector 16 boosting station has been affected due to a major leakage in the rising main pipeline from Basai WTP. The leakage was detected late Wednesday night and our teams were immediately deployed. However, the rain during the night delayed the repair work. The affected portion was being isolated and repaired. We are expecting the water supply to be restored by evening. The pipeline is nearly two decades old and its age has increasingly made it vulnerable to leaks. We are addressing the immediate leakage, but replacement of the old pipeline is also being taken up as part of the planned strengthening of the network.”The breakdown left residents in several localities without regular supply for most of the day. Residents said the disruption was particularly difficult for households with limited water storage capacity.In March, govt approved a Rs 51-crore project to upgrade the main water pipeline that carries water from Basai WTP to Sector 16 boosting station. The existing pipeline was designed to carry 170 MLD, but is currently transporting nearly 200 MLD, leading to frequent leaks and disruptions.To address this and meet future demand, the ageing 1,300 mm pipeline will be replaced with larger 1,600 mm and 1,800 mm diameter pipelines, increasing the supply capacity to 311 MLD.Under the plan, a 4.3 km-long 1,800mm pipeline will be laid from Basai WTP to Umang Bharadwaj Chowk, while a 3.7km stretch of 1,600mm pipeline will be constructed between Hero Honda Chowk and Rajiv Chowk.Additionally, an 800mm pipeline will be laid alongside the existing 1,200mm line from Rajiv Chowk to Sector 16 boosting station, covering another 3.3km.“The work has been allotted and pipes and other material required for the project were being procured, while permissions were also being pursued with NHAI for laying the pipeline along NH8. A ground inspection will also be conducted with the concerned agencies to examine the alignment and take the replacement work forward. The immediate priority, however, is to restore the water supply,” the official added.
