A 600-mm diameter backwash pipeline burst near the critical facility on Sunday. Being located in a low-lying area, the pump house at the facility got submerged, leading to a complete shutdown of pumping operations.

The pump house supplies water to areas under the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), and parts of Central Delhi, and South Delhi. The disruption has hit several prominent parts, including Civil Lines, areas around Hindu Rao Hospital, Kamla Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Baljeet Nagar, Inderpuri, and some prominent parts of South Delhi like Vasant Vihar, RK Puram, and Munirka. In North Delhi, people living in Malka Ganj and Timarpur area are also facing problems in receiving potable water.

Tens of thousands of people may have faced disruption, according to rough estimates.

An official said, “Acting immediately, the repair and restoration work was initiated the same day. The damaged pipeline has already been repaired, and teams have been working around the clock to restore operations.”

Of the nine motors at the site, three have been made ready and will be operational by early morning on Wednesday, officials said. “The remaining motors are in the final stages of drying and testing and are expected to be operational by Wednesday night,” the official said.

Most critical systems have now been tested and found satisfactory, while cable replacement is being carried out on priority, officials underlined.