Major incident leaves tens of thousands without water in Prague

Some 77,000 people in Prague have been without water since a major fault in supply lines occurred on Tuesday. Some schools and offices have been forced to close as a result of the incident, and drinking water tanks have been installed as a temporary measure.

Problems with the DN 800 and DN 600 water mains systems at Kopanina water reservoir in Líšnická street emerged on Tuesday night. A spokesperson for Prague’s water supply described it as a large-scale incident requiring intensive and difficult repair works.

Thousands of homes have been cut off from the water mains, and emergency drinking water tanks have been introduced in almost 50 locations.

“The repairs are very complicated as both broken pipes are laid at a depth of six meters. We are working intensively to eliminate both problems, and we are using all our available capacity for repair works and to ensure alternative water supplies,” said Tomáš Mrázek, spokesperson for Prague Water Supply and Sewerage.

The incident has particularly affected the Jinonice, Stodůlky, Ořech, Řeporyje, and Zadní Kopanina localities. Reports have emerged of some of the water tanks installed in these locations running out of supplies.

An updated map of emergency drinking water tanks can be found on the Prague Water Supply and Sewerage website. These are all located in the affected regions of Prague 13 and Prague 5.

Some additional tanks from external suppliers are also dotted throughout the area but these are not listed on the official map. Prague firefighters were meanwhile drafted in to help with emergency water supply, dispensing non-drinkable water from tankers intended for usages such as flushing toilets.

The authorities said today that mains water supplies should resume soon.

“The pipeline replacements were completed at 03:30 this morning, and flushing-out began,” said Mrázek. The water company advised that once supplies resume, people should let water drain out of their taps for some time due to the possible release of deposits in the pipes.

It’s thought the breakages occurred due to long-term wear-and-tear in the previous pipes, which were laid in the 1980s. The total length of the supply lines in which water ceased to flow as a result of the incident was 115 kilometers.