The stretch from Thapathali Chowk to Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Kathmandu remained obstructed the entire day on Tuesday after the road caved in after a Melamchi water pipeline burst. The stream of water from the burst main inundated nearby shops and houses and caused minor damage.

A team of technicians from the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited worked the entire day to fix the damaged pipeline.

“We found a rupture in the pipeline,” said DP Chapagain of the utility. “We are trying to resume water supply at the earliest.”

Tuesday’s is a second major breach of the Melamchi water pipeline in Kathmandu Valley within weeks. As multiple suppliers use the same road to lay utility channels, incidents of ruptures in water pipes have become quite frequent in the Capital.

A few weeks ago, a major water supply line burst at Babarmahal, flooding the area and submerging several houses and government offices including courts. Traffic along a major road was affected for several hours. The rupture was blamed on drilling activities conducted by the Nepal Electricity Authority for laying underground cables.

Chapagain said they also found a breach in the pipeline on Tuesday morning. The NEA had laid electricity cables close to the pipeline.

“We are informed that an excavator used in road expansion in the Chappal Karkhana area hit a pipe of Melamchi water today [Tuesday],” said Chapagain. “Even if the pipeline did not burst immediately, it may have been slightly ruptured.” He added that the threat of water coming out with force remains as the pressure on the pipe is often high.

Multiple agencies—NEA, KUKL, Nepal Telecom, and sewage systems—use the same space to lay ducts. Experts blamed a lack of coordination among the agencies for the breach of water lines. Besides, joints, bends and use of old supply channels are also responsible for leaks in water pipes, officials say.

Apart from the lack of coordination among relevant agencies, rusty pipes which are still in use in various parts of the Valley cause accidents, said Prakash Rai, spokesperson for the KUKL. “We have been promptly responding to the incidents of pipeline bursts and are also trying to resume supply to household taps as soon as possible.”

KUKL officials say they use the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems in bulk water distribution. They say the SCADA system enhances efficiency, reliability and safety of the supply line. It is designed to collect real-time data, and to monitor and control infrastructure in a wide range of industries.

The KUKL distributes 260 million litres of drinking water in the Valley daily—170 million litres brought via a tunnel from the Melamchi river in Sindhupalchok and 90 million litres from various local sources including Sundarijal.