Water Supply Disrupted Across Nagpur Due to Repeated Pipeline Damage

Water supply in several parts of Nagpur has been severely disrupted over the past 24 hours after pipelines were damaged at seven different locations during development works by third-party contractors. The incidents occurred on June 16, 17, 18, and 19 at various spots, including Pratapanagar Chowk, Bijli Nagar (Civil Lines), Hasanbagh Gate, Sharda Mata Chowk, Vaishnodevi Chowk, Pratap Nagar, and Ravi Nagar Square.

Thousands of households have been affected by the disruption, and the demand for water tankers has exceeded the supply capacity of Orange City Water (OCW). OCW has informed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and urged prompt action.

Despite repeated appeals and coordination efforts, third-party contractors have continued to damage crucial water pipelines during ongoing infrastructure work. In June alone, there have been 17 such incidents, causing significant inconvenience to residents. Several of these occurred within the last five days.

Incident Details:

• June 16, 2025 – 8:00 PM | Pratapanagar Chowk
  A 150 mm distribution pipeline was damaged by M/s BCC Transco during cable laying. Around 900 residents in Telecom Nagar, Ramkrishna Nagar, Gawande Layout, Trisharan Nagar, Shastri Layout, Trust Colony, Central Excise Colony, and Pioneer Society are without water. Repairs have been pending for over 48 hours.
• June 17, 2025 – 2:00 PM | Bijli Nagar, Civil Lines
  A 700 mm feeder main was damaged by M/s Shri Combines (Optical Fibre laying). Over 22,000 consumers in Reshimbagh CA, Hanuman Nagar CA, and Old & New Wanjari Nagar (Dhantoli zone) are affected. The contractor refused to repair the damage, prompting OCW to deploy its own team.
• June 17, 2025 – 4:00 PM | Hasanbagh Gate
  A 200 mm distribution line was damaged by T&T Infra Pvt. Ltd. (NHAI works). Around 4,000 residents in Hasanbagh, Nandanvan slum, KDK College area, Venkatesh Nagar, Kavelu Quarters, and LIG-MIG Quarters are affected. Repairs by the contractor are still pending.
• June 17, 2025 – 7:00 PM | Sharda Mata Chowk, Gittikhadan
  A 150 mm pipeline was damaged by M/s S.S. Communication (Reliance Jio). About 500 residents in Mahesh Nagar, Mama Chowk, Ahbab Colony, and Borgao (Gittikhadan CA) are without water. The contractor has not yet initiated repairs.
• June 17, 2025 – 8:00 PM | Vaishnodevi Chowk (MIG Colony)
  A 400 mm inlet feeder supplying Bharatwadi ESR was damaged by a contractor laying MSEB cables. About 3,500 residents in Bharatwadi (Deshpande Layout) ESR CA are affected. As the contractor refused to act, OCW’s repair team was deployed.
• June 18, 2025 – 8:00 PM | Pratap Nagar Square
  M/s BCC Transco once again damaged the AMRUT distribution feeder main during HDD operations. About 2,500 residents under Pratap Nagar (AMRUT) ESR CA have been impacted. The contractor failed to begin repairs overnight; OCW started work the next morning and repairs are ongoing.
• June 19, 2025 – 9:00 AM | Ravi Nagar Square
  A 110 mm feeder pipeline was damaged by MSEB contractor M/s Nakshatra Joshi. Around 800 residents are facing a water outage. The contractor has agreed to repair the leak, and work is in progress.

Growing Concern

Electricity outages and low water availability already pose challenges to ensuring uninterrupted services. The situation is further aggravated by uncoordinated external digging, especially using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), which often leads to pipeline damage.

OCW Issues Appeal

To prevent such incidents in the future, OCW has urged all external agencies to verify underground utility maps and coordinate with OCW before beginning any excavation, especially when using HDD or mechanical trenching methods.

OCW has recommended that NMC implement a formal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure pre-excavation checks, alignment approvals, and on-site supervision during such works.

OCW and NMC have appealed to citizens to use water judiciously and cooperate during this difficult time. Restoration efforts are underway on a war footing to resume normal water supply as soon as possible.

For more information about water supply, consumers can contact NMC-OCW
Helpline No 1800 266 9899 or email at [email protected].

👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com