Guwahati: Water Pipe Burst Kills 1, Leaves 30 houses Damaged in Kharghuli

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In an unprecedented burst of a big water pipe of the South-Central Water Supply Project under the Guwahati Jal Board at Joypur in the Kharghuli in Guwahati today, a woman lost her life and several others were injured, besides the damage to around 30 houses and several vehicles in the vicinity.

The woman, Sumitra Rabha Das, died when the forcefully gushing water from the pipe fell on her house and flattened it. She got trapped in the wreckage of the house and died. Her two daughters also sustained injuries. The burst of the water pipe was so powerful that several vehicles nearby were strewn away, and the walls and roofs of around 30 houses were badly damaged.

Joypur Unnayan Samiti president Pabitra Kumar Kalita said, “The accident is the outcome of shoddy work by amateur workmanship. The thickness of the pipe is also much less than required. Two people died in such a burst of a water pipe around two years ago. Even an earthquake of moderate intensity may crack the pipes. Lack of regular inspection by the authorities concerned leads to such accidents.”

Kalita said, “Initially, the work of this water supply project was handed over to Gammon India Ltd. Because of the delay in work, the Guwahati Jal Board had to engage several other parties for the job, replacing Gammon India Ltd.”

The situations of the water supply projects in Guwahati and the projects at various stretches of the national highways are no different. All such projects have been under construction for over ten years without seeing the light of day. As though the contractors from other parts of the country treat Assam as a second or third category state while executing such projects, making the people of the state suffer. If such projects in other states are completed on schedule, why not in Assam?

Also Read: Jal Board of Guwahati announces flushing of water pipes

Also Watch: