Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Engineer Asadullah Khan released a detailed video declaration relating to the causes and repair measures related to the Burst Water Lines at Siphon 19 near the University of Karachi.

He explained that the water lines in the area are several decades old, with one installed in 1956 and the other in 1971 – which made them 69 and 54 years old respectively. Their designated lifetime has long expired. He said Siphon 19, located near Karachi University, has two-84-inch diameter PRCC (pre-stressed reinforced concrete cylinder) pipelines, one of which is 16,000 feet (about five kilometers) long. Siphon 19 begins in Saadi Town and extends to University Road.

COO noted that the U-shaped pipelines at the siphon significantly increase the water pressure. Water flowing through these U-shaped sections generates much more pressure compared to equal wiring lines. As a result, the old and weakened pipes are not able to withstand the extra pressure, causing them to blow up.

He clarified that the pipelines running from Dhabeji to Karachi are equal wires and do not experience this increased pressure why they remain intact. He also shared that the damaged PRCC line at Siphon 19 is replaced with a soft steel pipe (MS). To ensure durability, four tons of melted lead are poured, heated to 300 ° C, at both ends of the tube. The process is called lead pitch. He expressed hope that the repair work would have ended on Saturday night, after which the water supply was expected to return to normal. He apologized for the citizens of the inconvenience.

Left parched

Meanwhile, experts claimed that repairs of the seven -foot wide pipeline, originally expected by Saturday, would probably continue until Sunday. They said that even if KWSC with a chance manages to finish the repair work by Sunday, another three-day period would be required for normalization of the water supply to the city.