A portion of a valve on the main supply line of the Pilloor drinking water scheme was blown off because of water pressure on Tuesday, disrupting supply to the northern and eastern parts of city and other areas covered by the scheme.
But, the Coimbatore Corporation had good news for these areas that feared yet another long phase of disruption: supply would resume on Wednesday.
“Fortunately, it is only a minor problem with a valve. Had it been a breach, things may have been worse, especially when many Pilloor scheme-served areas in the city are already complaining of shortage of water,” the Mayor said after overseeing the repair works along with Deputy Mayor N. Karthik.
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Assistant Engineer in-charge of Pilloor supply in city K. Karuppusamy said the leak from the valve spot was detected around 11 a.m. and pumping of water was stopped. The damaged portion of the valve was welded to prevent further leak.
Quoting officials at the spot, the Mayor said a rise in the pressure because of an increase in the supply quantity might have caused the problem. Sources said the litres-per-minute flow was increased from 92,000 to 93,000 as the Corporation had sought more water in the wake of complaints of scarcity in some areas of the city.
Even as workers were locating the exact leak spot in the line, the Corporation began bracing for a tough time on Wednesday if there were to be a major breach. The alternative on hand was to provide more Siruvani water to the affected areas in the north and east zones.
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“Now that it is only a valve burst, the total Pilloor supply itself can resume as early as possible on Wednesday,” the Mayor said.