DAMAGED: The pumping station at the Thumbay reservoir near Mangalore which was flooded with the Nethravathi water on Tuesday.

MANGALORE: Nearly 90,000 households in the Mangalore City Corporation limits will have to go without water for at least a week.

This situation has arisen due to a non-reversible valve burst at the Thumbay reservoir pumping station, on Tuesday. The water of the Nethravathi entered the pump house and submerged all three 750 HP pumps. As a result the water supply has stopped.

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Mayor of Mangalore Vijaya Arun, former Mayor Shashidhar Hegde, Deputy Mayor A. Saleem, and officers, including the Additional Commissioner and Executive Engineer of the corporation, inspected the spot. The engineers of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF) also tried to repair the system.

The pumps have been sent to Mysore for repair. According to the Mayor, the pumps have to be dried with a heat-generating machine before operating them.

Meanwhile, engineers of the corporation and the MCF have swung into action to replace the valve and the pipeline.

Although Ms. Arun said that the water supply would be restored within three days, the officials of the engineering department of the corporation were doubtful about it. The city has 800 km of pipeline which need to be charged with water once the pumps start functioning. The pumps are expected to arrive from Mysore on Thursday. It will take at least two days to set up the entire system and it will take at least 24 to 36 hours for the pipeline to get charged and develop adequate pressure. Appealing people to cooperate, Ms. Arun said, "It is a difficult situation for the city but it is beyond control."

She asked all people who had wells at their houses to share water with their neighbours, and to use water sparingly.

Ms. Arun said that she had informed the Deputy Commissioner about the situation and he had assured all help from the district administration. If the situation demanded private wells could be taken over by the district administration for supplying drinking water till the regular water supply was resumed, she said.

The corporation would also direct private water supply agencies to keep their tankers ready to deliver water, she added.

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