The Melamchi drinking water pipe laid on the road in Thapathali, Kathmandu has broken. A large amount of water has been lost due to a burst pipe on Tuesday and the road has also been damaged. The surrounding area was also submerged. This is the second time that the Melamchi water pipe has burst.

On January 30 last, while the electricity authority was laying the electricity cables underground, the Babarmahal area was flooded when the Melamchi pipe burst. Around 3 million liters of water was wasted at that time. The reason for the burst pipe in Thapathali on Tuesday has not been ascertained yet. 

The Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Limited (KUKL) is studying whether the quality of the pipe is poor or the leak is due to some other reason. Ashok Paudel, Chief Executive Officer of KUKL, said that in the initial phase of the study, it was found that the pipe was leaking.

Melamchi pipes are leaking at 6 places and are being repaired now. In Thapathali, due to heavy water coming out, the incident of leakage became public. Nearby drug and fruit shops and hotels were submerged. "This time, we managed to turn off the water quickly," said Paudel, "we didn't get too much wasted and damaged." 

According to KUKL, problems are seen in pipes when work is done by third parties. Poudel said that problems arise from time to time because there are human errors in the course of work. He says that water pressure can sometimes damage pipes. Paudel informed that the insurance will be claimed after collecting the details of the damage.

Melamchi pipe laying work was done by Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Project Implementation Directorate (PID). Tika Chaudhary, head of project directorate, said that in some places, the electricity authority's wires were being buried underground, and in some places, the pipe burst due to water pressure. He said that some areas, including Anamnagar, have problems with the pipes, so they are being repaired.