The water main problems experienced over the past ten days in Quartu Sant'Elena have been resolved, where a fault caused drinking water to leak into the gas mains. The critical point has been identified and repairs completed, and cleanup and remediation operations are now underway for a gradual return to normal service.
To address the emergency, Abbanoa deployed a dedicated task force that has patrolled the area nonstop over the past 10 days, performing over 20 targeted maintenance operations and several systematic leak searches using geophonic instruments and correlators. The network isolation maneuvers led to the identification and isolation of the critical section , locating the fault on Via Napoli, far from the area where the problem had manifested itself in recent days. The investigation, among other things, confirmed that the problem originated from damage sustained during previous work to lay the gas and fiber optic networks by the companies responsible at the time .
On that occasion, a press release from Abbanoa states, " a water main pipe had been damaged during excavation work, but the repairs by the company installing the gas and fiber optic lines had not been carried out in compliance with technical standards: a plywood connection had been improperly repaired with a polyethylene section and single-joint joints not rated for the nominal pressure. The failure of this "precarious" repair caused the hole in the nearby gas main, causing the network to flood."
Medea issued a denial, which is reported in full below:
Regarding the damage to Quartu's gas networks caused by massive water leaks, Medea reiterates the details of the incident, which it has provided to the press during these days of ongoing service to the public. It also takes this opportunity to deny any other reconstructions circulating in recent hours. The company has announced that in recent days, a large leak from the Abbanoa network cracked the nearby gas main, interrupting service for several dozen customers. Only the dedication of Medea technicians allowed service to be restored quickly to many of the affected families and the location of the leak. The company is also currently completing the purging of the entire network, after which it will proceed with road repairs, which are expected to be completed within the next week. Finally, Medea denies that any other utilities were damaged during the installation of the gas network in Quartu between 2013 and 2014.
(Unioneonline/vf)
