Broken Water Pipelines in Vidarbha

thenewsdirt
Jun 5
6 min read

Vidarbha, is grappling with a severe water crisis, worsened by frequent breaks in water supply pipelines.

Over the past five years, numerous incidents of pipeline bursts and leaks have disrupted water supply, caused substantial water loss, and imposed significant hardships on residents across cities and villages.

This article examines specific cases from Nagpur and Yavatmal, the broader water supply challenges in Vidarbha, the losses faced by citizens, and the municipalities’ struggles to manage these persistent issues, shedding light on a critical infrastructure problem affecting millions.

General Water Supply Challenges in Vidarbha

Vidarbha’s water supply system faces a complex array of challenges driven by environmental, infrastructural, and administrative factors.

The region is prone to droughts, with a reported 11% rainfall deficit in 2021, particularly affecting districts like Amravati and Gadchiroli.

This shortfall has reduced groundwater recharge, increasing reliance on surface water sources that are often insufficient. As a result, many villages depend on water tankers, with over 7,423 villages reported as water-scarce in 2018, a number likely higher in recent years due to ongoing climatic challenges.

Water quality is another pressing concern. Groundwater in districts such as Akola, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Yavatmal often contains high levels of fluoride, chloride, sulphate, and other minerals, rendering it unsafe for consumption.

Studies conducted between 2019 and 2020 analysed 88 groundwater samples across Vidarbha, revealing that several districts exceeded contamination limits for parameters like pH, total dissolved solids, and iron. This contamination, combined with inadequate infrastructure, leads to health issues such as diarrhoea, skin infections, and chronic ailments, particularly among children and the elderly.

The region’s water infrastructure is outdated and poorly maintained, contributing to frequent pipeline failures.

High mineral content in the soil accelerates pipeline corrosion, causing rapid degradation even in newly installed systems. The Central Ground Water Board has emphasised the need for systematic water quality monitoring and regular maintenance, particularly for new pipelines and borewells, but implementation remains inconsistent.

These challenges are compounded by the region’s agricultural dependence, with 65% of the population relying on farming for their livelihood.

Water shortages and poor quality directly impact crops like cotton, soybeans, and Nagpur oranges, leading to economic instability and, in extreme cases, farmer suicides, with Maharashtra recording 2,489 such cases in 2021, over half from Vidarbha.

Specific Cases of Broken Water Pipelines

Two documented incidents highlight the severity of pipeline failures in Vidarbha. In May 2025, a newly laid water pipeline in Parvati Nagar, Kalamna, Nagpur, developed four major leaks just ten days after being activated.

The pipeline, part of the Amrut 2 project launched six months earlier, was intended to enhance the water supply, but instead led to thousands of litres of clean, treated water being wasted daily.

The leaks caused flooding in homes, damaged property, and attracted snakes and scorpions into residential areas, posing safety risks. Residents, including local leader Nilesh Tighare, reported that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) failed to act promptly, leaving the issue unresolved for over ten days despite multiple complaints.

The incident raised concerns about the quality of construction and oversight in government-funded projects.

Another significant case occurred on March 5, 2023, near Yavatmal Vidarbha Housing Society in Yavatmal.

An underground pipeline burst, causing a road to crack open and releasing a heavy flow of water that injured a woman.

The incident, captured on video, showed water gushing uncontrollably, disrupting local traffic and water supply. The sudden nature of the burst and the lack of prior warning underscored the poor state of maintenance and monitoring of the pipeline system (Hindustan Times). These cases, though limited in number due to sparse reporting, reflect a broader pattern of infrastructure failures across Vidarbha’s urban and rural areas.

Incident	Location	Date	Details	Impact
Parvati Nagar Pipeline Leaks	Nagpur, Kalamna	May 2025	Four major leaks in a new Amrut 2 project pipeline, active for ten days	Thousands of litres wasted daily, flooded homes, attracted snakes and scorpions
Yavatmal Pipeline Burst	Yavatmal Vidarbha Housing Society	March 2023	Underground pipeline burst, road cracked open	Injured one woman, disrupted traffic and water supply

Municipalities in Vidarbha face significant hurdles in managing water pipeline failures, primarily due to ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, and systemic inefficiencies.

Many pipelines, particularly in urban areas like Nagpur, are decades old and have not been replaced or upgraded, making them susceptible to corrosion and bursts.

The region’s soil, rich in minerals, accelerates this degradation, necessitating the use of corrosion-resistant materials and regular inspections, which are often not implemented due to budget constraints or lack of technical expertise.

The response to pipeline failures is frequently delayed, as seen in the Nagpur incident, where the NMC took over ten days to address the leaks despite resident complaints.

Similarly, in Yavatmal, the lack of prior monitoring allowed the pipeline to burst without warning, indicating a failure in routine maintenance checks.

These delays exacerbate water loss and public inconvenience, undermining trust in municipal authorities.

Government initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, have allocated significant funds, Rs. 13,651.61 crore, with Rs. 3,831.41 crore in central assistance for irrigation projects in drought-prone areas like Vidarbha.

However, these efforts focus primarily on rural irrigation rather than urban water supply infrastructure, leaving cities like Nagpur and Yavatmal under-resourced for pipeline maintenance and upgrades.

The Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing tap water to rural households, has increased national coverage from 16.8% to over 71% between 2019 and 2023, but district-level data for Vidarbha remains unclear, suggesting uneven implementation.

Losses Faced by Citizens and Water Loss

The consequences of broken water pipelines are profound for Vidarbha’s residents, affecting their daily lives, health, and economic stability.

In the Nagpur incident, while thousands of litres of treated water were wasted daily, other parts of the city faced acute shortages, forcing residents to rely on private tankers costing Rs. 60 for a 200-litre barrel, a significant expense for low-income households.

In rural areas, residents often travel long distances to collect water from untreated sources, increasing the risk of contamination and waterborne diseases.

Health impacts are a major concern. Leaks in pipelines can allow sewage or other pollutants to mix with drinking water, leading to outbreaks of diarrhoea, skin infections, and other illnesses.

In Vidarbha, where groundwater is already contaminated with high levels of minerals, pipeline failures further degrade water quality, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations like children and the elderly.

Rural health centres, strained by limited resources, struggle to manage the volume of cases, adding to the public health burden.

Economically, pipeline failures impose significant costs. Residents face increased expenses for private water supplies, and farmers suffer from reduced agricultural productivity due to unreliable water access.

The link between water shortages and economic instability is evident, with crop failures contributing to farmer suicides in Vidarbha, where over 50% of Maharashtra’s 2,489 farmer suicides in 2021 occurred.

Water loss from pipeline leaks is substantial. In the Nagpur case, thousands of litres of treated water were lost daily, equivalent to the daily needs of hundreds of households.

While exact figures for Vidarbha are scarce, comparisons with other cities, such as Hyderabad, where 20 million gallons per day are lost to leaks, suggest the scale of the problem.

This wastage strains municipal budgets, as treating and distributing water is costly, and exacerbates the region’s water scarcity, particularly during drought periods.

The crisis of broken water pipelines in Vidarbha reveals a deeper issue of neglected infrastructure and inadequate management.

Incidents in Nagpur and Yavatmal highlight the immediate consequences, water wastage, supply disruptions, and safety risks, while broader challenges like drought and contamination amplify the region’s water woes.

Residents bear the brunt of these failures, facing health risks, financial burdens, and economic instability. Municipalities must address these issues through proactive maintenance, investment in durable infrastructure, and coordinated efforts to ensure a reliable water supply.

The path forward requires a commitment to long-term solutions that prioritise the needs of Vidarbha’s citizens.