COIMBATORE: Water supply to Coimbatore city from the Siruvani Dam was disrupted on Wednesday after the main water pipeline was accidentally damaged due to roadworks on the Siruvani Main Road.
Water from the Siruvani Dam is purified at the Siruvani treatment plant and transported through large pipelines to the city. With the southwest monsoon strengthening, water levels in the dam have risen significantly. Meanwhile, the highways department has been carrying out road widening between Perur Chettipalayam and Madhampatti junction for several months, clearing encroachments and felling trees along the way.
The underground main pipeline was ruptured by workers accidentally while scooping earth with an earthmover to uproot the main root of a neem tree which was felled for road expansion near Kallukadai Pirivu in Kalampalayam. This caused a huge gush of water, flooding the road and sending thousands of litres into nearby drains.
Supply to Kovai Pudur, Kalampalayam, Pachapalayam, Theethipalayam, Arumugakoundanur, and Perur Chettipalayam was disrupted, as water from the broken pipeline flowed like a stream along the road for hours before draining into the Noyyal River via a nearby channel.
Highways department workers informed the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, which immediately stopped the water supply and began excavation to repair the damage. TWAD officials expressed strong dissatisfaction with the highways department, noting that this was the second such incident during the ongoing road works.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from the TWAD Board (Siruvani Division) in Coimbatore said, "We were already attending to a leakage near Chadivayal on the same road. So, as soon as we heard the incident, we rushed to the spot immediately and began the repair works. The damages are expected to be fixed soon to restore normal water supply by Friday."