A devastating fire ripped through a godown house belonging to the Silgadi Water Supply and Consumer Sanitation Committee in Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality-6 on Friday night. The inferno destroyed the storage facility and a significant amount of vital plastic pipes, causing potential water supply disruptions for the region.
Ram Dhami, Head of the Committee, estimated the damage to be around Rs. 80 million, with water pipes specifically targeted in the blaze. The fire reportedly began around midnight and raged for over three hours before being contained by a combined effort of residents, police, and the Silgadi municipality fire brigade.
Raising suspicion of arson, Dhami pointed out the unusual nature of the damage. “These pipes require extremely high temperatures, around 220 degrees, to melt,” he stated. “A simple spark or electrical short circuit wouldn’t cause such destruction. We urge the police administration to investigate this as a possible act of sabotage.”
The destroyed pipes were crucial for the expansion of the water supply line to Ratuli-Pakari, a neighboring municipality. They included:
- Two truckloads of pipes specifically purchased for the expansion project.
- Two half-inch truckloads of pipes intended to connect 616 households in Silgadi.
- Approximately 5 kilometers of pipes previously acquired for the Bhelchada drinking water supply project.
- Additional pipes procured by Dhami himself and those obtained from other offices for storage.
The loss of this vital infrastructure poses a serious challenge to the committee’s ability to deliver clean drinking water to the community. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, with potential arson being a major focus.
