Though monsoon has set-in, there seems to be no respite for officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). The Singur, Manjeera, Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs are still dry. With prediction of good rains this year, officials are hoping they would fill up in the month of July.
If the four reservoirs fill up, the HMWSSB may have a cache of water supply, and will be able to improve the supply in the city as well. “It has to rain well, and the catchment area has to fill up, only then will the reservoirs get full. Even a few days of heavy rains are good enough for that. Last year was the first time that they went dry,” said a senior HMWSSB official.
Last December, the HMWSSB started pumping in water from the Krishna phase-3 and Godavari phase-1 drinking water projects, which supply 90 million gallons per day (MGD) and 87 MGD respectively. They were making up for the loss of 120 MGD from the Singur and Manjeera sources, and another 40 MGD from the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar which are all currently dry.
As of now, the city receives 355 MGD from the Krishna phase 1, 2 and 3, and the Godavari phase-1 projects combined. “If the dried-up reservoirs are full, we can then supply more water to the surrounding municipalities of Hyderabad like Serilingampally, Malkajgiri and Madhapur. The intensity of the rain has to be high, so that areas like Vikarabad, which is the catchment place for Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, are able to fill up the water bodies,” explained the official.
Last year, after water levels had gone down to critical levels in the currently dry reservoirs, the HMWSSB had begun emergency pumping, after which the Krishna phase-3 and Godavari phase-1 projects were utilised to make up for the loss.
Malkajgiri drinking water
By December, all areas of Malkajgiri will finally be able to get good water supply, as the HMWSSB has almost completed the drinking water project there. Out of 361.81 kilometres of pipeline, 321 km has already been laid. Officials said that once the project is complete, about 8,000 to 10,000 new connections will be given due to the demand.
A senior HMWSSB official informed that five zones in Malkajgiri are already receiving water from the new pipeline, as the old system has been closed in those areas. Out of the 35,000-odd existing connections from the old pipeline, about 11,600 connects have been pushed to the new pipelines, he stated. The official also informed that the new connections will also mean that water supply to the area will increase from 33.1 million litres per day (MLD) to 53 MLD.
