Wet sets at Balgandharva, thanks to seepage

Civic body hard at work trying to arrest leak in pipe running under theatre

Wet sets at Balgandharva, thanks to seepage

Civic body hard at work trying to arrest leak in pipe running under theatre

Balgandharva Rangmandir is facing a threat from water believed to be seeping into the theatre from a leaking Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) pipe that runs under it. The underground water has already reached the basement, where many sets used by various dramatic groups in their plays are stored.

To remove the underground water, the PMC roads department has opened the underground pipes by making a 15-feet-deep ditch.

Balgandharva was built by the PMC in 1965 near the Mutha river.

"It is surprising that the water threat is in winter instead of the rains," said Sandeep Khandve, PMC Executive Engineer, Roads.

The 90-metre-long water discharge pipe that runs under Balgandharva seems to have sprung a leak. This pipe was put in place in 1966, after the theatre work was completed.

Sunil Mahajan, President of Sanvad, cultural group, lamented the sad fate of the basement of the theatre and demanded the solution of the problem be given top priority problem. "The drama sets are precious for us and there should not be any damage to them," he said.

Khandve said they were hard at work removing obstacles in pipe and fixing the leaks. "We have been successful in pumping out over 10,000 litres of the leaking water every day," said Khandve. "Removal of obstacles in the underground water discharge line is a very critical issue. We are spending Rs 10 lakh on the removal of obstacles and releasing the water accumulated under the theatre."

The PMC has summoned Vijay Shivtare, a former navy diver, and his assistants Arun Kalbhor, Prakash Sakat and Ram Nalavde for the work.

"Shivtare is an expert in removing obstacles by actually entering the two-feet-diameter, 90-metre-long pipe," said Vijay Kapse, PMC Junior Engineer.

Carrying oxygen with them, Shivtare and his colleagues were working inside the 90-metre-long pipeline for over 90 minutes at a stretch.

"Working in the pipeline with oxygen and a small torch is risky but there is no other way to get to the exact problem area," said Kapse.

According to him, the pipe was over 40-year-old and met a sewage line midway, giving rise to the problem.
"There is a need to separate the two lines and make the water and sewage flow smoothly and directly into the Mutha," he said.u00a0

Shivtare said that he had used a special chemical to close the holes in the storm water lines, which will stop the leakage to a certain extent. "The line has been choked up with sand and soil and needs to be cleaned up first," he said.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels