Hyderabad water board declares emergency over acute shortage

In Hyderabad, its 1.5 crore population is suffering from an acute drinking water shortage due to irregular water availability, caused by El Nino.

Hyderabad: Data released by the state irrigation department indicates that over half of Telangana’s 600-plus mandals are currently affected by drought, with water remaining in approximately 500 out of more than 6,000 lakes statewide, according to a report by ThePrint.

In Hyderabad, its 1.5 crore population is suffering from an acute drinking water shortage due to irregular water availability, challenging agricultural and industrial demand, and an El Niño-resulted monsoon deficit.

6,000-8,000 tanker bookings a day

Data shows that with only three of Hyderabad’s 16 mandals receiving adequate rainfall, residents are forced to rely on paid water tankers.

Around 6000 to 8,000 tankers are being booked a day in Hyderabad, and the city Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) Managing Director has instructed officials to start additional tanker operations and launch the registration process.

Multiple areas, including the Secunderabad Cantonment and the outskirts of the capital city, have reported major water shortages, with drinking water supplied only once every three or four days.

“With water in the Singur Dam and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam dropping to precarious levels due to sparse rainfall, the HMWSSB is actively shifting its standard alternate-day supply schedule to a restricted routine of once every three days for major parts of the city to conserve what remains,” water board managing director Ashok Reddy said during a review meeting.

Water for Hyderabad’s core urban area covering 2,053 sq km inside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) comes from four main sources: the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs, and the Singur and Nagarjuna Sagar dams. All of these draw water from the Krishna and Godavari river basins.

The Irrigation and CAD Department said that the water level in Osman Sagar has dropped from its full capacity of 3.5 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) to 2.2 TMC. Himayat Sagar decreased from 2.5 TMC to 2.1 TMC, while Singur, which has a capacity of 29.9 TMC, now has 3.4 TMC left. Nagarjuna has 184.2 TMC of water currently against a capacity of 312 TMC.

Declaring a water emergency, the Water Board said a few reservoirs are projected to run out of usable water between mid-December and the end of December.

Govt exploring alternative water arrangements

To evaluate groundwater levels across all 16 mandals, the HMWSSB is conducting a water audit. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Metropolitan Area Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan has instructed officials to implement measures to conserve both water and electricity.

On its part, the water board is looking for supply options. “We are exploring alternative water arrangements, including additional supplies through the Godavari Drinking Water Scheme and the possibility of drawing more Krishna water, Ashok Reddy said. “Proposals for additional filter beds at Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar are also under consideration, as is the use of treated wastewater for construction, landscaping and industrial activities.”

As the crisis has gradually intensified with the drier months approaching, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and senior cabinet members held an emergency meeting to review precautionary measures to maintain drinking water supplies for the next months.

According to a senior architect, the numbers are “scary”, but the irony is that there is water. “It is just that we have not been able to understand how to manage water effectively,” said Chinmayee Mokshagundam, a senior architect at Akarmaa Foundation, who restores step walls in the city.

She called the current situation alarming. “There are more than 150 step wells in the Hyderabad ORR limits, and they are replenished through underground aquifers. Sadly, these have now become garbage dumpyards,” she told ThePrint. She added that if the stepwells built nearly 400 years ago are revived, Hyderabad’s water crisis would be down by at least 50 per cent.”

Measures to conserve water

The HMWSSB said it, and the Telangana government has steadily introduced plans to conserve water and curb water shortage.

For the first time in Hyderabad, the water board will launch “green water tanker” services on November 1 to encourage using treated wastewater for non-drinking needs. These tankers will supply treated water for construction, landscaping, and other non-potable uses.

The board has launched a public initiative enabling volunteers to report water issues using the Promote Awareness And Nurture Initiatives for saving water (PAANI) app.

CM Reddy, who heads the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD), has asked officials to limit permissions for borewells meant for construction and other non-drinking purposes. Meanwhile, existing borewells can be deepened for similar purposes.

The government has announced penalties for misusing drinking water. First-time offenders will be fined Rs 1,000, while resident welfare associations (RWAs) and homeowners allowing tanks or pumps to overflow will face higher fines.

Repeat violations may trigger steeper financial penalties or permanent disconnection of water and sewerage lines under the HMWSSB Act, 1989, according to the water board’s Managing Director.

Resident efforts

Resident welfare associations have also strengthened conservation measures. The United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFERWAS) launched its ‘Every Drop Counts’ programme in Hyderabad and Cyberabad. The seven-point plan aims to prevent localised shortages in communities. It includes reducing water use for landscaping and switching to recycled water for washing cars and cleaning yards.

Urban Development Forum head M Srinivas said these actions arrived too late and failed to build trust among the public.

“Back in September, during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, there was no water in Karimnagar to immerse the idols. They were using tankers back then to fill the ponds and immerse the idols,” he was quoted by ThePrint.

Srinivas said the government should have put together an action plan to address the shortage. “With little coordination between the irrigation, agriculture, industries, and the municipal departments, all the constituents are suffering,” he said.