Nagpur to have no water for 24 hours from 6 am on October 13 over Pench-4 pipeline leak

Residents of Nagpur will once again have to spend a full day without water. Citing a leak near Mankapur Chowk in the 1,400 mm diameter Pench-4 main pipeline, a shutdown of the water supply has been announced for 24 hours, from 6 am on October 13 to 6 am on October 14.

Citizens are angry over the shutdown. They say the city's people have to pay the price for the negligence and mismanagement of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Orange City Water (OCW). According to them, as on previous occasions, "repair work" and "shutdown" are again being used to cover up administrative failure.

People are asking why bodies that claim crores of rupees in budget and advanced technology cannot maintain basic facilities in time. Repeated leaks in the pipeline, followed by a halt to the water supply of the entire city, have now become part of OCW's functioning, residents say.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has appealed to citizens to conserve water and cooperate. But with repeated 24-hour shutdowns and no firm plan, the patience of ordinary people is wearing thin.

Citizens say a huge budget is spent on maintenance, yet the pipeline keeps developing faults. The failure to carry out repairs on time is directly affecting people's daily routine and health.

People believe such repeated shutdowns make it clear that there are major technical flaws in the existing water supply system. These cannot be fixed merely by plugging leaks or going through the motions, they say.

Local citizens and social organisations have demanded of the municipal corporation and Orange City Water administration that a high-level inquiry be held into the entire system. They have also asked that the durability and quality of the pipeline be reviewed and a long-term action plan drawn up, so that city residents are not made to face such severe inconvenience and water crisis in the name of minor repairs every time.