After a six-day halt, the release of water from the Selaulim dam to Opa for the rejuvenation of the Khandepar river resumed on Thursday morning. The water reached the Kalay river the same evening. As a precautionary measure, only one pump was started to avoid any further bursting of the pipeline, which carries 12 million liters per day (MLD) of water.
Pipeline Burst and Repairs
The release of water had been suspended on May 15 after a pipeline burst at Kalay to facilitate repair work. “The repairs have been completed and the release of water resumed on Thursday morning,” said Jason Menezes, executive engineer of the Water Resources Department (WRD) overseeing the Selaulim dam.
Whenever the water level in the Khandepar river drops, especially during summer, around 48 MLD of water from the Selaulim dam is discharged into the Kalay to augment the Khandepar river basin.
Challenges in Repair
The pipeline first burst on May 15 evening and was repaired immediately. However, when the water supply resumed the following day after repairs, the pipeline suffered another burst. “It took nearly six days to repair the damaged line. Since it is a mild steel pipeline, it has corroded over the past 24 years. Due to the corrosion, welding the damaged section was extremely difficult,” said Sydney Fernandes, assistant engineer at the dam. He added that the pipeline should be replaced with ductile iron (DI) pipes.
The current pipeline’s age and corrosion have raised concerns about its reliability. Authorities are considering long-term solutions to prevent future disruptions.
