The Mangaluru City Corporation has plugged the leakage in one of the two main pipelines bringing water from the Thumbe Vented Dam to the city on Thursday afternoon and resumed pumping.
Mayor Harinath told The Hindu that several parts of the city did not get water since Wednesday. However, supply has been restored now. The corporation was forced to pump water through one of the lines from the Thumbe Vented Dam across the Netravathi early on Wednesday morning after noticing extensive leakage near Adyar.
Since another main line too is linked to the leaking line through illegal tapping of the main lines, pumping had to be stopped through the other line too by Wednesday afternoon.
Engineers found it difficult to locate the leakage point as the lines had gone beneath debris illegally dumped on them. Despite last year’s five-day man-made water famine, the MCC did not clear the entire length of the debris. On locating the leakage point, the engineers were able to plug the leakage by Thursday morning.
Asked whether the corporation would clear the debris at least now, Mr. Harinath said that the MCC has to do it.
However, the issue has to be placed before the council of the corporation as it involves seeking police protection for the drive and incurring expenditure. Once the council passes the resolution, the work will be executed, he said.
Mangaluru went without water for five days from August 1 last year after two pipelines burst near Adyar. At that juncture, the then Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim had issued strict instructions to the MCC to remove the debris dumped on the pipelines which not only increased pressure on the lines; but also prevented the authorities to plug leakage, if any.
