ver the last few weeks, the severity of drought has come to fore in the State, exposing the kind of trouble ordinary citizens go through just to get some water.
And in a city where the resource is supposedly supplied every alternate day by the Water Board, the reality is something else in the slums of Rasoolpura, where taps gush with water just once in nine days.
Big blue 200-litre drums are found in front of every house in the slum areas of Indramma Nagar, Arjun Nagar and Anna Nagar, as they are used for storing water. Ask anyone in those areas about the water supply situation, and they get agitated.
“We get drinking water supply just once in nine days, and we buy non-potable privately for Rs.10 a drum,” said P. Babaiah, a resident of Indramma Nagar.
The non-potable water bought by Babaiah and others is from private borewells, which is against the law. But the residents have no other option, as the municipal water supply is so limited .
“After we store water for a week, it starts smelling, and we find insects in them. But we have no choice, but to heat and drink it,” said Vijayalaxmi, who stays in Anna Nagar, Rasoolpura.
The water supply that Vijayalaxmi and Babaiah get every nine days is for about 45 minutes.
Vijayalaxmi said that a public borewell was set up by the local MLA a few years ago in the ward beside theirs.
“But now because of summer, people living in that lane were not letting us draw water from it. After local politicians intervened, we get two drums of water each every three days from that borewell,” she added.
Many people in the area, which comes under the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), have illegal water connections.
The supply, every nine days is without any meter or bill.
Unaffordable
“We are ready to pay bills, and want our connections to be regularised. But we cannot afford to pay huge amounts for regularisation. It should be waived off,” said Sunita, a housewife who lives in Arjun Nagar.
“The government should waive-off regularisation fees which is a few thousand rupees as the residents are poor, and should meter all the connections. The HMWSSB had done it in other places of the city, so why can’t the SCB do it?” questioned Mohd. Munawar Chand, of Basti Vikas Manch, who has been trying to mobilise people to bring the issue to light.
Community borewells
Mr. Chand suggested that the SCB should install community borewells so that residents are not inconvenienced in summer, and don’t fall prey to private water sellers.
“The scheduled supply is once in two days. Some people are unwilling to pay their bills. Last month we spent Rs.1.2 crore to lay new pipelines in Rasoolpura, and did not charge any development fees. We are only asking them to take new connections, and pay whatever they can, even just Rs. 500. About 80 per cent of people in SCB pay their bills, only 20 per cent don’t,” said Raj Kumar, Superintendent, Water Department, SCB.
When asked if the SCB is willing to waive off bills or connection charges, as is being demanded by slum-dwellers, Mr. Kumar said that those falling in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category can request the CEO for some sort of waiver.
“About 20 years ago, some of the people in Rasoolpura had taken connections from the main line. From last year, we are telling them to regularise them,” explained Mr. Kumar.
Price of water
Making the most of the situation and the helplessness of the slum dwellers are those who sell water from borewells dug up in their private properties. While a drum of water is sold for anything between Rs.10 to 15, a pot of water is sold for Rs.1 to the residents.
After storing water for a week, it starts smelling, but they have no choice, but to heat and drink it
