KOLKATA: Large areas in
south Kolkata faced disruption in water supply following a snag at the
Garden Reach Water Works at 9pm on Saturday. Though KMC engineers hope to restore supply in areas like
Tollygunge and Bhowanipore by Sunday morning, there are fears that several parts may go dry.
According to a source, a snag developed at the Garden Reach Water Works around 9pm on Saturday. Workers heard a heavy sound and then saw water gushing out of the pipes inside the pump room. Within hours, the pump room went under water.
A team led by DG (water supply) Bibhas Maiti started repair work on a war footing. "We have not seen such a grave situation in last 30 years. The problem is grave and we are yet to assess the extent of the damage," an official with the KMC water supply department said. By 11pm, the pump room was under 10ft water and divers had to be deployed to assess the damage.
"We are trying to restore water supply in some pockets. But at this juncture we are unable to assess the extent of damage. We are not sure when water supply can be restored in areas like Behala, Jadavpur, Pujali and Maheshtala," mayor Sovan Chatterjee said.
An urgent repair work was undertaken at Garden Reach Water Works last February. A KMC official said the repair work was necessary to plug the loopholes in distribution system. Garden Reach Water Works treats water after drawing it from Hooghly river through intake jetty. After treatment, the water is sent to booster pumping stations and finally to households. According to a KMC source, it caters to as many as 30 lakh people in the southern part of the city.
KMC officials said they would be able to start full-fledged repairing only after the water inside the pump room recedes.
Representative Photo
