Safety overhaul of Guwahati water supply system

A key disaster response strategy is to learn from gaps noticed in preventive measures and rectify those to minimise the losses. Ironically, the recurrence of a major pipe burst incident at Kharghuli in Guwahati on Thursday morning, leaving several houses and property damaged, is a pointer that the Guwahati Jal Board did not learn its lessons from the earlier incidents. The previous incident of a major pipe burst, which occurred near the same place in 2023, claimed one life and injured several others besides damaging houses and property of several families. People complained about the failure of the Jal Board to immediately turn off the water supply, which led to fatalities and damage to property. This time too, the situation could not be handled in time to prevent damage to property. This implies that the water supply network lacks any centralised mechanism at the controlling waterworks to detect loss of pressure in the pipeline for suspected leakage. Such a mechanical system, which is widely used in oil and gas supply networks to detect leakage in the pipeline and immediately shut down supply to control fire and minimise damage, could have ensured that the water flow through the pipe leakage spot is stopped before it caused extensive damage. Even if the original design did not include it, which is reflective of safety aspects not given due importance at the project planning and development stage, a retrofitting solution could have been explored. Till a feasible mechanical solution is found, at least a regular safety audit must be carried out to prevent recurrence. Unfortunately, incidents of pipe bursts of various magnitudes continuing at different places in the city present a grim picture of the ad hoc approach to the problem without any serious consideration of likely consequences. The state government instituted a probe into the previous incident at Kharghuli, but people were not informed about the probe outcome, if any accountability was fixed on any official or employees for any negligence, any defect in execution of the project, etc. Mega public utility projects involving large populations as targeted beneficiaries and executed with taxpayers’ money must be transparent to boost the confidence of the targeted population. One can imagine the extent of loss and damage in a thickly populated city like Guwahati if such incidents of pipe burst simultaneously occur at multiple places. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority should inform the city residents about its response mechanism in such a situation and should also issue advisory for the people on Dos and Don’ts. Piped water supply to every household in the city is a long-pending requirement to provide city residents with much-needed relief from water scarcity and shortage. Commissioning of supplies in some localities is an encouraging development even though vast areas of the growing city are yet to be covered. Residents in areas without piped water supply are compelled to depend on underground water from a borewell, tubewell, or ring well, or purchase water supplied by a water tanker at an exorbitant price. Expediting the work of piped water supply, therefore, is an essential requirement. Expeditious provision of water connection does not mean that safety aspects are to be kept aside. On the contrary, safety issues have become even more important as the area under water flow under pressure from reservoirs, from large pipes to small household pipes, involves a meticulous design to control the pressure of water discharged. Deficiency, either from a designing point of view or in execution, cannot be overlooked and gets detected if the safety regime is made foolproof through the deployment of strong teams of trained professionals with sound technical knowledge. Accidents in a large system like that of a city water supply system cannot be entirely ruled out, but the efficiency of the authorities is demonstrated in successful mitigation and smooth handling of the situation. Seeking to deny any shortcomings instead of admitting it and making best efforts to address those that seriously affect the image of an institution or an authority before the general public, which in turn also demoralises its workforce. People in different localities allege a lack of any response by the Jal Board officials when they call the helpline number to raise grievances of disruption in water supply for days together. This calls for serious introspection by the authorities and a review of the current system to improve the response mechanism. Providing new water connections also needs to be reviewed, as in many areas connective pipes have become barriers for pedestrians on pavements. The Guwahati Jal Board must look at city residents as important stakeholders in the water supply projects and create a citizen-friendly ecosystem, both at its offices and online, to encourage them to provide their feedback for overall improvement in the system. Thursday’s incident at Kharghuli calls for a comprehensive review of the working of the entire water supply system, including the safety of the pipe network at the highest level, to improve safety standards.