Hyderabad’s drinking water supply was restored within five hours on Tuesday after a car crash damaged an air-release valve on the Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme Phase-2 pipeline near Nagole Metro Station, while the 24-year-old driver was killed in the accident.
The crash occurred at around 4 a.m. near Metro Pillar Nos. 813 and 814 on the Uppal-Nagole route. The car struck the iron fencing installed to protect the pipeline’s air-release valve near Uppal Bagayath, damaging both the protective structure and the valve. The impact triggered a major water leak, with the force of the escaping water reportedly sending a jet more than 20 feet into the air.
The deceased was identified as Vineeth, a resident of Hayathnagar. Police and fire services personnel reached the site after the incident. The water gushing from the damaged infrastructure flooded surrounding roads and contributed to severe traffic congestion along the Uppal-Nagole stretch.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board said its transmission officials responded immediately and stopped the relevant pumps to control the flow. The damaged valve was located approximately 20 feet from the main road, according to the Water Board.
Following instructions from HMWSSB Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy, teams from the Transmission, Operations and Maintenance departments began emergency repair work. The Water Board said technical personnel mobilised the required machinery, equipment and staff and worked continuously to repair the valve system and stop the leakage.
The repairs were completed in five hours, after which the pipeline was brought back into operation and drinking water supply was restored to the affected areas. HMWSSB said the response was prioritised because the disruption occurred during a festival period, when a prolonged interruption could have affected residents across several parts of the city.
The disruption had affected or threatened supply to localities including BN Reddy Nagar, Uppal, Vanasthalipuram, Ramanthapur, Beerappagadda, Autonagar, Prakash Nagar, Begumpet, Padmaraonagar, Secunderabad, Cantonment, Lalaguda, Addagutta, Nallagutta, Mettuguda, Vaishalinagar, Meerpet, Badangpet, Balapur and Marredpally. The Water Board had said tankers would be deployed wherever necessary and appealed to residents to use water sparingly until normal supply was restored.
The incident exposed the vulnerability of major water transmission infrastructure located close to busy urban roads. The air-release valve, a component used in the pipeline system, was protected by an iron fence but was still damaged in the collision. The immediate repair prevented a longer interruption to a network serving multiple Hyderabad neighbourhoods.
HMWSSB said Mr. Ashok Reddy congratulated the engineers, technical personnel and staff involved in the emergency response. He directed officials to maintain similar preparedness and coordination during future emergencies to ensure that unexpected technical failures do not cause prolonged interruptions to the city’s drinking water supply.
