The Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) has announced significant setbacks in restoring water supply to northern regions, revealing that aging infrastructure has catastrophically failed during reactivation attempts. The crisis emerged following weekend maintenance operations that required complete system shutdown.
Technical crews successfully addressed three major leakage points along the critical 24-inch raw water pipeline at Millet by Wednesday evening. However, during the carefully orchestrated reactivation process, two previously undetected sections of the pipeline ruptured under pressure. Engineering assessments confirm these failures directly result from the deteriorated condition of aging infrastructure that could not withstand standard operational pressures.
The compounding infrastructure failures extend water shortages that have plagued northern communities for approximately two weeks. Repair teams are currently executing emergency interventions, with full system restoration projected for Thursday evening pending no further complications.
WASCO outlines a revised reactivation strategy involving an exceptionally gradual repressurization protocol to transport water to the Theobalds Treatment Plant while minimizing additional stress on the fragile network. The company emphasizes that system stabilization will require considerable time, with elevation-based restoration priorities meaning higher-altitude customers and remote network endpoints will experience delayed service restoration.
The utility company warns of potentially prolonged systemic vulnerabilities throughout the upcoming dry season, noting that seasonal water pressure reductions exacerbate existing infrastructure deficiencies. WASCO urgently advises all customers to maintain at least one week’s water reserve as insurance against future disruptions.
Company representatives expressed profound regret for the extended service interruption while affirming that technical teams continue working tirelessly to complete repairs and restore normal service conditions.