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Journalism of Courage
CHENNAI, MARCH 31: The city and its northern suburbs were saved from a major disaster, when a big breach, which had developed late on Tuesday night at the Puzhal reservoir, one of the three major sources of drinking water to the city, was controlled, early on Wednesday.
The breach which had occurred around 2000 hrs last night in the form of a wide leak, soon developed into a 30 ft long, 25 ft wide gap, through which stored water gushed out, inundating a nearby engineering college and fields and causing panic among local residents and the authorities.
The breach had taken place near a metro water tower at Soorappattu on the Puzhal-Ambattur road.
Personnel from metro water, public works department and the police were called in to control and plug the breach. Local administration minister Ko Si Mani, who is supervising the plugging operations, told newspersons that the cracks in the more than century-old two pipes, laid during the British era, near a water vent could have caused the breach.
Local residents told the correspondent that what started as a leak soon became a big breach, damaging the concrete road laid on the dam bund, which had been strengthened during 1991-92.
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi held an emergency meeting with his ministerial colleagues, city Mayor M K Stalin and top officials at 0515 hrs at the State Secretariat and later visited the breach site to supervise the plugging work.
He later told the State Assembly that a major disaster in the city and suburbs was averted. Sensing the danger as a result of the breach, the State Government had alerted the Army and Navy for any help, if necessary.
Though Mani attributed the cracks in two defunct pipes submerged in the water for the breach, Karunanidhi said only after a detailed probe, the exact reason could be given.
He was replying to Leader of the Opposition S Balakrishnan’s apprehension of a conspiracy or sabotage as the breach had taken place during the summer season.
Mani said the water level which stood at 3,030 mcft on Tuesday morning had come down to 2,992 mcft following the breach. In all 38 mcft of water had been lost. However, a part of the lost water had got stored in nearby lakes and could be used.
He said to reduce the water pressure in the reservoir, 500 cusecs of water was being let out. This process would continue for another two days till the breach was plugged.
Karunanidhi informed the House that the people in the nearby localities of Kavangulam, Kolathur, Lakshmipuram, Thanikachalam Nagar and Kodungaiyur were alerted on Tuesday night itself.
He admitted that the officials had not brought the breach to his notice last night "as they had felt that it was only a minor leak".
Describing the breach as a "river-like" one, Karunanidhi said the water flow had been drastically reduced following the plugging operations. Top police and government officials were camping in the area to supervise the operations which were going on in a war-footing.
