HYDERABAD: The state government has at last woken up to the frequent bursting of Ring Main-I of Krishna Drinking Water Supply (KDWSP) Phase-II pipeline and has decided to replace the vulnerable stretches at seven locations covering a length of about 2.41 km between Sahebnagar and Mailardevpally.
The government has released Rs 13.23 crore to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) for replacing the 1,600-mm-dia PSC pipes with 1,600-mm-dia MS pipelines.
The decision to replace the pipelines was taken by the government after the bursting of the pipeline at Balapur Crossroads in Chandrayangutta in the old city on Wednesday that flooded Balapur and its adjoining areas.
A staggering number of 42 pipeline bursts and leakages took place in the last few years resulting in wastage of a few thousand million gallons of water at a time when the reservoirs levels are precariously low.
Leakages along this line have been plugged at 17 locations recently. Near the burst points, some other leakages were also fixed.
The KDWSP Phase-II ring main was laid in 2004. A technical committee had inspected the pipelines and concluded that it would be better to replace the leak-prone 2.41-km-long pipeline in seven stretches of the 14-km-long pipeline.
The government was also requested to find a permanent solution to the frequently-occurring problem and to replace the pre-stressed concrete cement (PSC) pipes with mild steel (MS) pipes in vulnerable stretches. They invited requests for proposal in August this year but are yet to finalise the agency for undertaking the study.
The water board’s managing director had written a letter to the department of municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) last month seeking funds to replace the leaking PSC pipes at the earliest.