Mumbai: Traffic moves at snail's pace after pipe under Parel TT bridge bursts

Haphazard and unplanned repair work to fix a broken water pipeline resulted in muck being strewn all over Parel TT road on Thursday, sending several bikers skidding. Pics/Atul Kamble

Commuters who take the Parel TT bridge on a daily basis faced a tough time on Thursday, after a pipe passing underneath the southern exit burst and disrupted traffic movement in the area. As the southern side of the bridge was closed for traffic after the incident, vehicles were diverted, leading to massive congestions. Even though repair work of the pipe started soon after, residents of the area are not sure whether their daily water supply would be restored on Friday.

Damage being fixed
Speaking to mid-day, Kishor Desai, assistant municipal commissioner, F-south ward, said, "A BMC team was sent to the spot after we received a complaint about the incident. We are trying to fix the damage."

With one side of the bridge shut, traffic was diverted from underneath the flyover. Commuters faced a harrowing time in covering the stretch as the water dripping from the bridge had made the road muddy and slippery. "Just ahead of me I saw two bikes skid. I was driving slowly to avoid any untoward incident," said businessman Dinesh Chaudhury, who was heading to Masjid market on his bike. "The BMC staff should have been careful while working on the pipe during the peak traffic hour," said another commuter.

BMC workers started repairing the pipe soon after the civic body received a complaint about the incident. Pic/Atil Kamble

Meanwhile, some residents in the area said that the incident happened after they got water in the morning. Most of the residential buildings in the locality receive water only once in the morning. "We are not sure whether we'll get water on Friday or not, as it will take some time to repair the pipe," said Vishakha Govekar, a resident of Vardhaman Krupa building. "We have stored water in drums and tanks, but it'll only last for a day. Still we are trying to save as much as possible," said Sharada Tailor, another resident.

'Water will be supplied'
When contacted, Prakash Kadam, deputy municipal commissioner, said, "I was at the site. A crack at the bottom of the pipe led to the incident." "It's a 50-year-old pipe. It appears that leakage led to the crack. But we're still not sure of it," said Ashok Tawadia, hydraulic engineer from BMC.

Speaking about the water supply in the area, he added, "On Friday, water will be supplied to residents at the usual time between 4 am and 7 am. We are trying to finish work on the pipe by early morning, before the water supply starts."

Also read: Mumbai: After Bandra residents rage over uneven roads, BMC reopens repair shop

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