Kolkata’s water crisis worsened after a leak in the potable-water main beneath Tala Bridge created a shortfall of more than 50 million gallons a day, prompting the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to deploy over 400 tankers across affected areas and begin diverting supply through a narrower pipeline.
KMC officials said they were working to restore normal water supply by Thursday evening or Friday morning. The damaged main has a diameter of 1,800mm, while the temporary diversion is being carried through a 1,200mm pipeline. Nearly 80% of the diversion work had been completed by Wednesday, according to a civic official.
“We are working around the clock to restore the water supply to normal levels by Thursday evening or Friday morning,” a KMC official said. The official added that the civic body would have to increase water pressure so that the narrower pipeline could carry a similar volume of water.
The disruption placed pressure on households and institutions as stored water in domestic reservoirs began to run out. KMC officials said 254 tankers had been sent to affected areas on Tuesday, including 150 in central Kolkata. The number rose to more than 400 on Wednesday as residents made fresh requests for emergency supplies.
Most of the tankers had a capacity of about 4,000 litres. On Tuesday, 119 tanker services were sent to domestic households, 109 to slum areas and 26 to hospitals. The civic response expanded after residents who had managed with stored water on Tuesday began facing shortages the following day. An official also said demand rose because Wednesday coincided with Bhaiphonta.
The water shortage affected more than individual households. Residents posted on social media about acute scarcity and the difficulty of managing a festival day with limited water. The distribution pattern also highlighted the pressure placed on civic emergency logistics when a major supply line fails, with KMC having to prioritise residential neighbourhoods, informal settlements and hospitals at the same time.
The leak also led to changes in railway operations around Tala. Railway officials said Circular Railway and suburban services using the route would not be diverted from Wednesday and that all Mail, Express and suburban trains would operate on their normal routes. Sealdah Division said it had made alternative arrangements to prevent water from entering railway tracks and had developed an additional drainage system to reduce the possibility of future waterlogging.
The immediate restoration plan depends on completing the diversion from the damaged 1,800mm main to the 1,200mm pipeline and raising supply pressure. KMC’s stated target is to normalise water distribution by Thursday evening or Friday morning, while the railways will continue operating normal services with the additional drainage arrangements in place.
