Hyderabad drinking water supply was restored to affected areas after the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board repaired a damaged air valve on the Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme Phase-II pipeline near Nagole Metro Station.
The valve was damaged at about 4 am on Tuesday when a car crashed into its iron safety barricade near Nagole Metro Station pillar number 813, close to Uppal Bagayath. The impact severely damaged both the protective fence and the valve, causing a major water leak, the HMWSSB said in a press release.
The air valve is located about 20 feet from the main road. After the damage was reported, transmission officials stopped the relevant pumps and controlled the water flow to contain the leakage and enable repair work.
Officials and technical staff from HMWSSB’s Transmission, Operations and Maintenance departments reached the site and mobilised machinery for restoration. The damaged valve system was repaired within five hours, bringing the leakage to an end, according to the board.
The pipeline was subsequently restored and drinking water supply resumed in the affected parts of Hyderabad. The incident required coordination between the departments responsible for transmission, operations and maintenance because the damaged component was connected to a major drinking-water supply scheme.
The disruption also exposed the vulnerability of above-ground pipeline fittings and their protective infrastructure along busy urban roads. In this case, the safety barricade intended to protect the air valve was damaged in the vehicle collision, allowing the valve itself to be hit and causing water loss from the transmission system.
Air valves are installed on pressurised water pipelines to support the management of air within the network. Damage to such components can lead to leakage and require the affected section of a supply system to be isolated while repairs are carried out. HMWSSB’s response involved stopping the relevant pumps before technical teams repaired the system.
The board did not disclose the volume of water lost, the extent of the supply interruption, or whether any further work would be carried out on the damaged barricade. Its statement confirmed that the valve had been repaired and that drinking-water supply had resumed.
