KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 12
A pipe in the Melamchi water supply network ruptured today causing severe flooding in the capital's Babarmahal area.
The rupture caused road collapses and inundated the Kathmandu District Court, the Special Court, and other government buildings. The Melamchi water supply pipe burst on Wednesday around 2:30 p.m., according to reports.
The Kathmandu District Court issued a public notice stating that the Melamchi water pipe burst and water seeped into the ground floor of its second building with numbers 26, 27, 28, and 29.
"This notification has been issued for the information of all concerned that the services flowing from those branches, the pesi of that branch, and seats 26, 27, 28, and 29 will not operate until further notice is published due to branch damage," the notice reads.
Ashok Kumar Poudel, CEO of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), also reported that a pipe in the Melamchi water supply network had burst.
According to KUKL, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) damaged the main distribution system pipe while laying the cable underground in the Babarmahal area, resulting in a sudden burst and flooding.
Poudel stated that the NEA's negligence caused damage to the pipe.
The Ministry of Water Supply has also blamed the NEA for the burst of a drinking water pipeline in Babarmahal. Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav stated on Wednesday afternoon that the NEA ruptured a pipe in the wholesale drinking water distribution system in Babarmahal, while conducting horizontal drilling to underground electricity lines.
"I was in Pokhara for a programme. As soon as I heard that a pipe had burst and water was flowing in the Babarmahal area, I immediately flew to Kathmandu and am now in Babarmahal, where a pipe has burst and water is flowing," Minister Yadav wrote on Facebook.
He also stated that the head of KUKL had been given instructions to shut off the water. "The water level has now dropped by approximately 50 per cent. The ministry's Pramila Devi Shakya, KUKL CEO Ashok Kumar Poudel, Project Implementation Directorate Chief Tika Bahadur Chaudhary, and the ministry's team are in Babarmahal to drain and prevent the inundation," he added.
"As soon as we learnt that the vehicles were submerged due to waterlogging and there was a problem with movement, I instructed KUKL's CEO to close the valve and open the washout."
