Gallons of water are getting wasted on the roads of Sakchi and Sitaramdera for the last one week, creating puddles on the stretches and disturbing traffic movement.

“It is unfortunate that the civic authorities talk about water conservation but are sleeping on our complaints on such wanton water wastage because of leaks in supply lines along the Kalimati Road near the road overbridge in Sakchi for over a week. There are water puddles on the road, especially during supply period in the morning and evening,” said Manoj Das, an eatery owner in Hira Singh Bagan in Kasidih under the jurisdiction of Sakchi police station.

The leaking pipeline supplies water to residential areas of Garabasa, Tuiladungri, Refugee Colony and Golmuri in the morning and evening.

“Fortunately, the leak has not affected the pressure of water supply but we fear that pollutants might enter the supplied water through the leak. Most residents consume water directly from the tap and there could be water contamination because of the leak. We have placed the issue before Jusco but no action has been taken,” said Atul Karmakar, an autorickshaw operator and resident of New Kalimati Colony.

Also, water gushing out from a ruptured supply line along Hume Pipe-Slag Road is making it difficult for people not only to negotiate the stretch with vehicles but also creating a threat of vector menace. “Half of the road is waterlogged because water is gushing out from a cracked supply line. No action has been taken to plug the leak even after lodging a complaint. If this continues we would have to deal with chikungunya and dengue next,” said Vijay Kumar, a transport owner who stays at Sitaramdera.

An official with Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited (formerly Jusco) said: “We are speaking with experts in our team to find a solution and might issue a shutdown order for an entire day to repair the leak. We should also keep in mind that consumers should not be disrupted,” said .