Damaged pipeline leaves highway flooded

No way out: Commuters had no choice but to continue their journey on the flooded Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for two hours near Ganangur, near Srirangapatna in Mandya district on Monday.

A huge volume of Cauvery drinking water went down the drain following damage in the pipeline near Ganangur, off the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, near Srirangapatna of the district, on Monday.

The busy highway was flooded for nearly two hours following the leakage. The water gushed out of the pipeline and reached a height of around 25 ft because of the pressure, local residents said.

It is suspected that the pipeline, laid to supply water from Srirangapatna to Mandya and surrounding areas, had completed its life span. The incident occurred owing to a leakage at a joint of the pipeline. Commuters on the road alerted the police.

The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) personnel rushed to the spot. It took nearly three hours for the KUWSDB personnel to repair the leakage. According to the KUWSDB sources, the damage in the pipeline resulted in wastage of at least 10,000 litres of water per hour.

Executive Engineer Shivakumar and others visited the spot.