Gurgaon Faces Water Supply Disruption After Pipeline Leak at Key Treatment Plant
A significant leak in Gurgaon's crucial 1,600 mm master water pipeline has created major water supply problems across the city. The leak occurred at the Chandu Budhera water treatment plant, which serves as one of Gurgaon's primary water sources.
Widespread Impact Across Residential Areas
The water disruption has particularly affected newer sectors of the city. Areas experiencing severe supply problems include sectors 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 12. The crisis has also extended to sectors 81 through 115.
Several other locations faced major disruptions as well. These include Chandu village, Dhankot, sectors 10, 33, 37D, and 38. The Sector 51 boosting station, which serves sectors 42 to 74, also experienced significant supply issues. Badshapur village reported similar problems.
Technical Challenges Delay Repairs
Workers detected the leak last Friday. Officials explained that temperature variations caused the steel pipeline to shrink. This shrinkage loosened joints and created the leakage point.
The repair process encountered multiple obstacles. Heavy water accumulation inside the water treatment plant prevented immediate repair work. Crews needed to dewater the site first, which consumed valuable time.
The situation worsened on Monday when initial repair attempts failed. Backflow in the pipeline undermined efforts to plug the leak effectively.
Official Explanation and Response
GMDA officials attributed the damage to extreme cold conditions. "The pipeline consists of steel material," one official stated. "During very low temperatures, the metal contracts significantly. This contraction loosens joints and leads to leakage."
The official further explained, "Water escaped through the failed joint. We needed to dewater the entire site before beginning repairs, which caused additional delays."
Restoration Efforts and Timeline
GMDA announced completion of repair work at 8 PM on Tuesday. Teams deployed to open the sluice valve immediately afterward.
Water supply restoration began within hours of the repair completion. Most housing societies and MCG supply boosters started receiving water between 11 PM and midnight.
Supply conditions improved significantly by Wednesday across most connections. However, officials cautioned that full restoration takes time. "Once we restart supply, water needs time to circulate properly," an official noted. "The pipeline requires complete filling. Tail-end areas typically receive water with some delay."
Plant Capacity and Previous Incidents
The Chandu Budhera plant normally supplies 400 million litres daily to Gurgaon. Another 270 MLD comes from the Basai facility, which continued functioning normally during this incident.
This marks the latest in a series of water infrastructure problems for Gurgaon:
- December last year saw a breach in the Gurgaon Water Supply canal
- February 2024 witnessed a pipeline burst near Hero Honda Chowk
- January 2023 experienced leaks in the pipeline to Sector 51 boosting stations
Officials emphasized their commitment to resolving the current crisis. "Our teams worked continuously to complete repairs and restore supply," one official stated. "The damage complexity and water backflow unfortunately delayed the restoration process."
