A large portion of the road at Ballygunge Phari was dug open on Friday morning to repair a leak in a main water pipeline that supplies potable water to Ballygunge, Gariahat.

The pipeline also replenishes a booster pumping station in Kasba.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has dug open a 12x12ft portion of the Gariahat-bound flank of the road, which forced the traffic to slow down.

The repair on Gariahat Road will be over by Sunday, said a KMC official.

Two lanes of the road, just in front of a park at Ballygunge Phari that has a replica of Belur Math, have been blocked for the pipeline repair.

“This is a very crucial water supply line of 1,200mm (46 inch) diameter. Water is supplied through this line for over 20 hours a day. We have to fix the leak when there is no water in the pipeline. We will get only about three-and-a-half hours each on both Saturday and Sunday to stop the leak,” said a KMC official.

The official said a breach occurred at the joining of two concrete pipes, and it has to be fixed. The joining point will be fixed with “lead wool”.

A police officer of South East Traffic Guard said traffic is likely to remain lighter over the weekend, when the repairs will be done.

“There are many schools, including South Point, The BSS, Modern High School for Girls and Patha Bhavan, around this area. Most of these schools are still closed for winter vacation and will resume classes on Monday. The repairs will get over before the schools reopen,” said the police officer.

Traffic load increases manifold along this road when the schools are open.

There is a space for a single file of vehicles to pass on the stretch of road, but the police have created a channel on the road to run the Gariahat-bound traffic.