In about a year’s time, residents of Malkajgiri might be able to heave a sigh of relief if the water board can complete the task it has set out to finish. Currently, works to lay drinking water pipelines in the area have begun, with about 150-km. having been completed out of the total 383-km.
Malkajgiri, which receives about 11 million gallons per day (MGD) of water daily to 34,000 connections, still requires better supply, as customers of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) get water once in three to five days.
This, in spite of more water being supplied now from the Krishna Phase - III project. “The area needs about 20 MGD,” admitted a senior HMWSSB official, seeking anonymity. “Out of the 15 zones Malkajgiri has been divided into, works have begun in 10 of them. Once the entire project is completed, it will draw water from the Krishna Phase – III and Godavari Phase – I projects. We hope to complete the project around April 2016,” the official explained.
He further stated that the Malkajgiri Drinking Water Project was delayed by a few months due to the general elections before it began in November last year.
Old pipelines
One of the main reasons Malkajgiri faces shortage of water supply is because the pipelines laid a few decades ago are thin and made of PVC and RCC.
The old pipes also result in a leakage of about 20 per cent in the current supply, and will be replaced by ductile iron pipes, stated the HMWSSB official.
“Also, we get requests for additional water connections. To accommodate that, we have to finish this work,” he added.
As of now, works are ongoing at places like Defence Colony, Gautam Nagar Vajpayee Nagar and other areas.
