Pipeline damage disrupts water supply in several areas in Tiruchi

Drinking water supply to several areas in the city has been affected over the past few days due to the damage to a main pipeline at Senthaneerpuram, along the service road of Tiruchi–Chennai National Highway.

The concrete pipeline, which carries water from the Cauvery, developed cracks and burst on Thursday night. According to officials, the damage occurred after the pipe was struck by a private gas distribution company while laying its underground pipeline.

As a result, drinking water supply to four overhead tanks at Sangiliandapuram and Kallukuzhi was disrupted, affecting supply in Viragupettai, Sangiliandapuram, Kallukuzhi, M.K. Colony, Sengulam Colony, Mannarpuram, and several other localities falling under Wards 34, 35, 47, 49, and 59.

The Corporation has begun repair work and is checking for leaks. An underground sewage pipeline in the area was also found damaged. Workers have dug a deep crater to isolate the affected portion of the pipeline, which is being removed and replaced.

A senior Corporation official said that repair work had been taken up on a war footing and that the damaged section of the pipeline would be replaced with a ductile iron pipe. The work is expected to be completed within four days. In the meantime, drinking water was being supplied to residents in the affected areas through tankers three times a day.

However, residents say the arrangement is insufficient. “The drinking water is supplied only for an hour in the morning, and there has been no supply in the area for the past four days, which has affected our daily activities. The water supplied through the lorries is also not adequate,” said S. Rexline Beula, a resident.