A massive water fountain erupts after a pipeline rupture near the Arlem traffic junction. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Thousands of litres of raw water from the Selaulim water treatment plant went to waste on Monday evening after a valve on the pipeline developed a fault near the Arlem traffic junction.
The rupture triggered a massive water fountain, sending water shooting dozens of metres into the air and disrupting traffic at the busy junction for some time. Traffic personnel struggled to regulate the flow of vehicles, while locals said water continued to gush out of the damaged pipeline for over an hour.
What particularly angered the public was the apparent wastage of thousands of litres of water at a time when the state has recorded a rainfall deficit. There are also concerns that the water stored in the dams may not be sufficient to meet drinking water requirements until the next monsoon.
Water Resources Department (WRD) officials attributed the wastage to a faulty valve that triggered the massive water fountain. An official said the department acted swiftly to plug the flow at the main valve. However, water continued to gush out since it is pumped into the pipeline to maintain pressure.
“The raw water pipeline carries water from Davorlim to Verna. Since Verna is located on a higher plateau, water is pumped into the line to maintain the required pressure. Even after the main valve was shut, the water already inside the pipeline continued to flow out,” the official said.
This is the second instance of a faulty valve on the raw water pipeline supplying the Verna Industrial Estate resulting in the wastage of thousands of litres of water. The pipeline had earlier ruptured along the Eastern Bypass, leading to a similar incident.
A WRD official said the department was in the process of replacing valves along the entire pipeline supplying raw water to Verna. The move is part of a broader plan to upgrade the pipeline's carrying capacity from the existing 30 MLD to 60 MLD.
