Hyderabad water board readies emergency plan as Singur, Manjira inflows remain uncertain
To ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply under all circumstances, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director Ashok Reddy has directed officials to
To ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply under all circumstances, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director Ashok Reddy has directed officials to prepare a comprehensive contingency plan covering reservoir management, tanker operations, rainwater harvesting, consumer grievance redressal, sewerage maintenance and long-term infrastructure development. Reviewing the Board’s performance on Tuesday, he instructed officials to submit a contingency plan by July 16 for areas dependent on the Singur and Manjira reservoirs in case anticipated flood inflows do not materialise. The plan should assess reservoir-wise water availability, minimum drinking water requirements, potential supply deficits and the feasibility of diverting water from the Krishna, Godavari and Mission Bhagiratha systems. It should also specify the infrastructure required, including pipelines, interconnections, valves, pumping stations, reservoir modifications and area-wise water allocation, he said.
Officials were also asked to prepare a scientific water balance statement based on current storage, daily drawal, usable water, allocations and transmission losses, while ensuring verified information is shared with the public to avoid panic. To strengthen future supplies, Mr.Reddy directed officials to prepare infrastructure in advance to utilise the additional 25-30 MGD expected from Mission Bhagiratha and examine the technical feasibility of sourcing another 10 MGD from the Godavari system. He also suggested diverting water saved from the Krishna and Godavari systems to Singur-Manjira dependent areas. To clear pending tanker bookings, he instructed officials to ensure at least 11,000 tanker trips every day. Of the Board’s 95 filling stations, backlogs persist in Boduppal, Shapurnagar, NTR Nagar, Kothapet, Gajularamaram, Peerzadiguda and Mangapuram.
Additional tankers, drivers, night shifts, extra filling points and vehicle mapping from nearby stations have been ordered to eliminate the backlog within three to four days. Expressing dissatisfaction over delays in rainwater harvesting works, he directed officials to create a digital dashboard to monitor progress and ensure rooftop rainwater is connected through filter chambers to recharge pits, shafts or injection bores. Apartments and gated communities booking excessive water tankers will be issued notices this month to install rainwater harvesting systems. Reddy also ordered that complaints relating to contaminated water be attended to immediately, with field teams identifying the source, providing alternative drinking water within 24 hours where required, and closing complaints only after permanent rectification.
The BriefWire