Civic authorities unconcerned as underground water distribution pipeline leaks for over one and half months

A water pipeline on a road in the Maharashtra industrial development corporation (MIDC), Bhosari area, has turned the area, which is in front of Thermax and running towards Tata engineering and locomotive company, Telco, into a small, but mushy pond.

Concerned residents of the area and employees of the above two companies have repeatedly raised an alarm about the leakage, but to no avail.

Dashrath Shitole, an employee of Thermax, said,“It is an underground pipeline that has been leaking for the last month-and-a-half. As responsible citizens we have approached the MIDC and the civic body (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation), but both are passing the buck and no action has been taken.” 

When Hindustan Times contacted with Ravindra Pawar deputy engineer, PCMC, he said,“Our officers visited the spot yesterday and found that the line is not PCMC’s. We have our line running nearby, but there is no any leakage from there.This is a water supply line of the MIDC that is leaking.” 

 However, Kalpesh Lahiwal, deputy engineer, water supply, MIDC, said,“There is no leakage from our water supply line.We have kept all our lines closed for a few hours to check, but that leakage still continued.” 

There is also a high tension wire of the Maharashtra state electricity distribution company (MSEDC) passing by the area. Both MIDC and PCMC have now issued a letter to MSEDC asking them to remove the wire because of the danger it poses given the water leakage. 

Shrikant Jogdan, chairman, Human rights protection awareness, said,“We have approached the PCMC and MIDC many times, but both are busy passing the buck.The pipeline has been leaking for over a month,but no authority has the time to look into this. Many parts of the city are facing an acute water crisis in the summer and such wastage of water only creates a water shortage in city.”