Zaman Newspaper
Drought-stricken Ankara flooded for second time as pipeline bursts A main water line in the Turkish capital burst on Monday night, leaving the already parched city with the promise of three more waterless days.
Water gushing out of the major line near the Demetevler Cemre Park reached a height of 10 meters as it sprung geyser-like out of the burst main, carrying nearby vehicles off course and inundating a great number of homes and businesses. The neighboring Lalegul neighborhood was quickly covered by mud in the wake of receding flood waters. A crowd rapidly gathered at the time of the flood, many chanting slogans calling for the resignation of Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek.
Officials from the Ankara Waterworks Administration (ASK&I) stated that the water supply city-wide would be cut for three days as a result of the mishap. Ankara is currently divided into two districts to which the local government pumps water to in two-day turns. The likely cause of the rupture was cited structural failure of the pipe resulting from the sudden pressure with the renewed pumping of water.
A similar incident occurred over the weekend in the capital when a wholesale covered market was flooded by a burst pipe. As the evacuation work carried out by teams from the local government continued in Monday's incident, reports of a youth trapped in a carwash facility circulated. However, rescue teams searching the area have no found no victims as of yet. Some inundated buildings have been evacuated for fear of collapse and electricity has been cut off to the affected areas.
