Thousands of people in Kolkata are struggling without adequate water after a major leak in a 72-inch pipeline in the city's Tala (Tallah) area, according to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The civic body said over five million gallons of water had gushed out after the pipeline was damaged on Monday (November 9) morning, The Hindu reported.

Source: The Hindu

The underground British-era main burst at around 8:30 am on Monday near the Tala railway gate, below or close to Tala Bridge. Water flooded parts of Banamali Sarkar Street, Ghosh Bagan and Ghoshpara, and accumulated on railway lines near Kolkata station, forcing Eastern Railway to cancel local services including the Majerhat–Barasat, Barasat–Majerhat and Dattapukur–Majerhat trains for Tuesday and divert Circular Railway trains via Kankurgachi and Ballygunge.

Source: Urban Acres

KMC engineers worked through Tuesday to divert drinking water around the leaking section. Senior KMC officials said the repair was likely to be completed by Thursday night, although engineers at the site cautioned that the timeline could extend because the pipe is buried nearly four metres underground and remains difficult to access. Five pumps were deployed near Tallah railway station to drain the affected areas.

Source: Urban Acres

The disruption spread well beyond Tallah, with parts of north, central and south Kolkata reporting reduced water pressure. The KMC warned that neighbourhoods including Central Avenue, Rajabazar, Park Circus, College Street, Bidhan Sarani, Ballygunge and Kasba could be affected. The civic body is laying an alternative pipeline and connecting a line beneath Manmatha Dutta Road, next to the Tallah water tank, to improve supply, but the temporary smaller-diameter lines mean lower pressure for now.

Residents in several areas said the water tankers arranged by the KMC were inadequate. Ujjal Saha, a resident of Raja Nabakrishna Street in Sovabazar, told The Telegraph that only one tanker had reached his locality and that some residents were being forced to buy drinking water. As complaints increased, urban development minister Agnimitra Paul announced a helpline — residents can call or WhatsApp 9831127522 to register water-supply complaints.

Minister of state for urban development Umesh Rai, KMC commissioner Smita Pandey and local MLA Ritesh Tiwari visited the site. The civic body's immediate priorities are to complete the repair of the ageing pipeline, maintain drinking-water flow through temporary connections, drain the railway area and address residents' complaints until normal supply is restored.