NI Water appreciates upset over ‘shocking’ burst pipe flooding incident

The company carried out emergency repairs on the burst watermain at Ballyarnett Road on Thursday with the team working into the evening to ensure the repair was successful.

An NI Water spokesperson said: “A burst main on such a scale is fortunately a rare occurrence, but when it happens it can be shocking to witness.

"The sheer volume of water from a pipe this size means as much as 110 litres of water per second could potentially have been flowing toward the properties at speed, and unfortunately at a pace that could not be stopped.

"This is undoubtedly an extremely distressing sight for any homeowner, and we fully appreciate the upset that has been caused by this incident.”

Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy, meanwhile, has written to NI Water and the Department for Infrastructure on ‘behalf of my constituents whose homes have been both damaged and destroyed on the Racecourse Road due to a burst water pipe’.

In his letter Mr. Delargy stated that ‘residents have also flagged with me their concern at the initial response time by NI Water which exacerbated the damage done to their properties’.

“Residents need to know what happens next. They are awaiting a full and official response from NI Water so that they can plan ahead and

have clarity around home repairs,” he stated.

NI Water said: “When we received the first calls from customers, at 9.57am, our teams were placed on emergency response and diverted from other areas in the city to arrive at the scene by 10.30am.

"Their immediate priority was to assess the situation, identify where the nearest valve was located which would stop the flow of water, get to it and shut it off.

"The valves were located approximately half a mile away from the actual burst; they were attended to by two teams and all fully shut down by 12.05pm.

“Alongside the operational response, a customer liaison team was mobilised and arrived to the street to make sure all customers were given advice and information and helped in any way possible.”

The utility company thanked residents for their patience in face of the burst pipe.

"Our first priority was ensuring everyone had alternative accommodation and contact details for insurance claims. The residents were very appreciative of the actions of our staff and we would like to thank them for their patience. Their response to such an upsetting situation is truly commendable.”

“Bursts of this scale that impact homes in this way, are thankfully rare. However, bursts in general can occur anywhere on our network, for a variety of reasons, including the age and condition of the pipework, location, weather etc.”

Mr. Delargy urged NI Water to meet residents to discuss the flooding incident.

“I would appreciate if you can meet with residents as a matter of urgency on this. We are willing to facilitate this,” the Foyle MLA said.

Design process for Drumahoe flood alleviation to be completed by Spring 2025