Water Pipeline Burst Floods Kathmandu Courts and Offices

On Wednesday, a major water pipeline burst in Kathmandu, Nepal, causing significant flooding in the area. The rupture affected the premises of the Kathmandu District and Special Court, as well as other government offices. The incident occurred when the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) was laying underground cables, accidentally damaging the Melamchi Water Supply pipeline.

Details of the Incident

The burst led to the collapse of a road section at Babarmahal, inundating two courts and the Forestry Complex. The disaster response team was called to rescue those stranded by the sudden flooding. Tika Chaudhary, head of the Melamchi Water Supply Project, explained that the NEA's drilling work caused the damage, forcing a halt in water supply to the area.

Impact and Response

The Melamchi project, which usually provides 170 million liters of water daily to the Kathmandu Valley, faced additional challenges due to this incident. Mahananda Joshi, spokesperson for the Road Division Office, confirmed that the NEA had been working on underground cabling for several days. The main Melamchi pipe was struck by a drilling machine, leading to the water burst.

The flooding began around 1 PM local time and lasted over four hours, disrupting movement and operations in the area. Justices from the affected courts had to be evacuated. The Melamchi Drinking Water Project team faced delays in identifying the damaged pipe, contributing to the widespread flooding. Water supply to the affected zone has been halted as a result.