I recently saw a trench being dug to repair a leak in an underground water main in Yadavagiri. When I peeked in the trench, I saw that a hole in the main had been repaired by wrapping cycle tube rubber strips around the hole. It is learnt that this is the standard way to repair underground water mains and connect two pipe sections.
It is obvious that such repairs are shoddy and unacceptable from the public health point of view. Water will leak during high pressure periods (as it is doing in the photo) and water outside the pipe will be sucked in during negative pressure periods, contaminating the whole water supply. Over a relatively short period of time, the rubber will disintegrate completely and one will have to dig again and repair again.
The correct way to repair is by welding which will make the joints watertight and long-lasting. It is high time that VVWW gives its workers welding equipment and trains them to use it.
B.Vaikunth Shenoy, Member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat