Burst pipeline floods homes in Bhatulem, locals blame smart city

Panaji: Residents of Bhatulem were left shaken after a 600MLD water pipeline burst open, sending thousands of litres of water gushing into their homes at Dhanlaxmi Nagar Society. While locals blamed the smart city for the damage, Smart City Mission officials said they had no role to play in the incident.

Locals claimed that a smart city contractor was constructing a sewage chamber in the Bhatulem area when the adjacent water pipeline was damaged. Within minutes, homes in the vicinity were inundated, with water seeping into kitchens, damaging appliances, books, and furniture, leaving families scrambling to save their belongings.

Residents accused the authorities of ignoring their plight and leaving them to fend for themselves. “The water rushed in at 10 in the morning. We can’t even cook for ourselves today,” said a woman who resides in the area. “We have children to feed.”

The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL), which is executing the Smart City Mission projects in the state capital, released a statement claiming that no work is going on in the vicinity of the broken pipeline.

“The recent water pipeline burst at Bhatulem, which led to water wastage and temporary flooding in low-lying areas, was not caused by any smart city-related works. The issue originated due to an internal pipeline end cap breakage inside Dhanlaxmi Colony, an entirely unrelated matter,” said an IPSCDL official.

The official added that IPSCDL has not undertaken any activities in the affected zone that could have led to this incident.

However, on site, there is evidence of excavation of trenches and wooden fortification to prevent cave-ins.