Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Residents struggle as Thane loses water to pipeline bursts
THANE: While the ambitious road widening project of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will help decongest the city, it may prove to be a major hazard to pipelines in the city.
Picture this: In April, six incidents of pipeline bursts have been reported across the city, leading to wastage of hundreds of litres of water. The water department has blamed the bursts on ongoing road widening works and the shutdown of over 48-60 hours.
The city, although hit with one of its worst water crisis, has been unable to stop the water wastage.
The corporation has undertaken major road widening projects across the city. The demolition and widening has also led to damage of water pipelines. Incidents of pipe bursts were reported from Nitin Company Junction, Vartak Nagar, Pokharan Road No. 1, Panchpakhadi, Kapurbawdi junction and Cadbury junction. These bursts were majorly owing to the road repair and widening works.
An officer from water department said, “Most of these pipes have burst during the road repair and widening works across the city, except the Nitin Junction pipeline. It is difficult to judge where the pipelines exactly are while digging, leading to these accidents. The Nitin Junction line, on the other hand, is a 15-yearold pipeline, which burst owing to fluctuation in water pressure during the shutdown period.”
He said the corporation has now decided to give an estimate of how many pipelines are present and their location before carrying out the work.
“We had a meeting with the city engineer, wherein it was decided that henceforth a survey will be conducted and a rough estimate of the placement of the pipeline will be given before the digging work begins.”
The widened roads will also have specialized ducts to lay utilities and water pipelines, so that if the roads are repaired in the future, the pipes will remain unharmed. The officer said, “The old pipes will be gradually replaced under our Rs700-crore water remodeling project to be undertaken under the Amrut Scheme of the central government. The re-modelling involves laying of new pipelines networks, constructing elevated reservoirs, water tanks and pump houses.”