HYDERABAD: The busy Punjagutta junction literally turned into a pool of for few hours Saturday when an old pipeline cracked and spewed huge quantities of water on to the road and nearby shops.
With the 600 mm diameter pipe unloading its huge load on the main road, the busy morning traffic came to a standstill as vehicles and passersby strived to keep themselves dry. Traffic police had a tough time controlling and directing the vehicles amid the general chaos.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS & SB) had laid the pipeline more than 15 years ago and had not maintained it since then.
Water Board officials told Express that as soon as the pipeline cracked, they rushed a team of officials and technicians to the spot for repair works. Officials however wasted time at first by digging the wrong part of the road before hitting the correct spot. They had to recover the dug road and proceeded to dig the correct spot with a JCB.
Because of the heavy leakage, water supply to certain areas like Punjagutta, Ameerpet, Somajiguda and nearby areas was affected. With final touches to the repair works still going on, there would be no water supply Sunday in many areas.