City residents gearing up for the harshest summer ever, might have one silver lining to look forward to. The Sun may spend all his heat in sapping the city of its water, but the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is confident of providing abundant supplies this summer.
All the reservoirs are full, and the supply from the projects on Krishna and Godavari rivers will suffice to see the city through during the next two or three months, officials say. “Last summer, Manjeera and Singur were totally dry, and water depleted in Nagarjunasagar too. Osmansagar and Himayatsagar had no water. The situation is different this year. We have abundant reserves,” says Managing Director of the Water Board M. Dana Kishore.
Further, he is confident that the 25 reservoirs being constructed with aid from HUDCO and World Bank will come to completion in March and April months, providing water to areas thus far deprived. As of now, the city is receiving on an average 372 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) of water from both Krishna Phase I, II and III, and Godavari Phase I projects. The amount of water supplied last year was 362 MGD.
Few restrictions
“We can get an additional 80 MGD of water from Godavari once laying of the ring main is completed. We have called for tenders for the same,” Mr. Dana Kishore said. In the worst case scenario, water can also be drawn from Singur and Manjeera reservoirs, besides the twin reservoirs of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. However, officials on the condition of anonymity ring alarm bells saying that there are instructions from the State government not to touch the water from Singur reservoir, as it is intended to supply for the Mission Bhageeratha project. The drawals from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar too have been restricted for unknown reasons.
“There are problems in supply to Division I, as it draws water from Himayatsagar through Miralam filter, and supply is not being allowed from Himayatsagar,” complained an official. However, as the statistics show, and also Mr. Dana Kishore affirms, 48 MGD of water is being presently drawn from Singur and Manjeera put together, of which Manjeera alone is supplying 30 MGD. This is against the 120 MGD the reservoirs can supply to the city.
