As if rains were not enough, the BWSSB turned spoilsport for BBMP when water as well as drain pipes along the Victoria Road sprang nasty leaks, stalling road repair work for almost three days since Friday.

Repair of Victoria Road between Lifestyle and Palmgrove Road junctions were taken up by BBMP in right earnest after Deccan Herald reported the sordid state of the road. The work got underway and was supposed to be completed in 10 days, but BWSSP water and drain pipes running adjacent to each other sprang leaks at four to five places on Friday. BBMP sources said the matter was reported to BWSSB on Saturday but no action was forthcoming till Monday, turning the stretch into a quagmire.

Though BWSSB responded on Monday, leaks only turned worse, complained BBMP staff.

While BBMP is still grappling with the problem, residents of Victoria Layout fear a Bharathinagar-type of gastroenteritis outbreak due to mixing of water and sewage through the leaking pipes.      

While the sanitary pipes were relaid anew by BWSSB recently blocking the road for nearly two months, the corroded water pipes which spring frequent leaks were not attended to. If the BBMP lays a fresh road over the corroded pipes, which is not possible for now, the pipes may give way undoing the work, fear BBMP engineers.