The Kolkata water crisis continued in parts of north Kolkata on Saturday, with water pressure remaining low in wards 7, 8, 9 and 19 after a leak in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s supply line beneath Tala Bridge. KMC engineers have diverted water from the damaged pipe to other distribution lines, but civic officials said the disruption has not been fully resolved.
The low pressure is affecting households located at the far ends of distribution lines. A KMC official explained that homes near the beginning of a 250-metre supply line may receive adequate water, while the volume gradually declines further along the network, leaving residents at the farthest points with very little or no water.
KMC offices have continued to receive complaints and requests for water tankers from several areas, including Shyambazar Street, Ahiritola and parts of north Kolkata. A Bowbazar resident also reported that their household did not receive adequate water on Saturday.
The civic body deployed around 20 water tankers on Saturday, according to a KMC official. That number was substantially lower than the deployment during the peak of the disruption, when more than 500 tankers were supplied on Wednesday and Thursday. The reduced requirement indicates that the situation has eased from its worst point, although pockets of the city continue to face shortages.
Officials said the pressure had to be reduced while water was released from Tala tank to prevent further damage to the affected pipeline. This contributed to the formation of voids in distribution pipes and may also have allowed air pockets to develop. Air pockets can obstruct the normal movement of water through the network.
According to the official, these air pockets may take three to four days to clear after supply resumes at normal pressure. Until then, households at the ends of affected lines may continue to experience inadequate flow even when water is available closer to the source.
The disruption has coincided with increased local demand linked to Chhath Puja. A KMC official said households typically require additional water during the festival and that the civic body had created six artificial ponds for related rituals. The official said the situation would have been difficult to manage if demand and tanker requests had remained at the levels recorded on Wednesday and Thursday.
KMC’s current response involves maintaining diverted supply through alternative distribution lines, monitoring complaints and deploying tankers where shortages persist. The civic explanation indicates that the immediate challenge is no longer limited to the damaged pipeline itself, but also includes the time required for pressure and flow to stabilise across the wider distribution network.