Leakage in pipe causes Prabhadevi road to cave in, could disrupt water supply

MUMBAI: Leakage in a water main caused a sinkhole of 10 to 15 feet on the road in front of the Madhya Prabhadevi Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal near Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi, on Thursday morning. The front left tyre of a car that was passing by got stuck, and the public jumped in to rescue the driver. No injuries were reported.
According to a BMC worker, the sinkhole formed due to leakage in an old and rusty water pipeline. “Right now, we are letting the dirty water out due to the pipe burst. It might take us the whole night to finish the work,” he said.
Mrudula Ande, ward officer of G South ward which encompasses Prabhadevi, elaborated that a water main had been leaking, which created a cavity underneath. “Our officers are working on fixing it,” she said.
A press statement issued by the civic body late on Thursday stated that there was a water leakage in the 66-inch water pipeline at the Veer Savarkar Marg and New Prabhadevi Road junction, and work to stop the leakage was currently underway. ‘Every effort is being made to complete the task on time. If the work takes longer, there will be a water supply interruption in G/South Ward, including N M Joshi Marg, Curry Road, Lower Parel, and N M Joshi BDD on September 13 from 4.00 am to 7.00 am. In Sane Guruji Marg, there will be a low-pressure water supply. Residents are requested to take note and cooperate by using water sparingly,’ stated the note.
Nearby shopkeepers said that the incident took place at around 9.30 am, and a BMC team arrived within 30 minutes. Pavan Patil, a general store owner who opens his business at 9 am, said, “I was sitting here waiting for customers when there was a sudden clamour of people running towards a car. It was stuck in the cave-in on the road. Passersby rushed to rescue the driver and pull the car out of the sinkhole.” Civic workers then barricaded the spot, which resulted in slow-moving traffic.
“Imagine if this had happened at night,” said Shanta Bai, a fruit seller. “Because it was during the day and people were around, they were able to help the motorist and get the car out. Who will take responsibility if someone got trapped? The authorities need to take care of such issues.”