HYDERABAD: City’s western corridor is heading for a severe water crisis in December, with Serilingampally set to face an 80% cut in supply.Among the worst-affected areas will be Patancheru, Kukatpally, Gachibowli and Narsingi, which together account for more than three lakh consumers.The extent of the looming crisis was flagged by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director K Ashok Reddy at a recent meeting with representatives of the real estate industry body, NAREDCO.
Impending crisis
He attributed the impending shortage to the sharp depletion of water reserves in the Singur and Manjeera reservoirs, which are currently holding barely 10% of their storage capacity.These two key reservoirs supply water to almost the entire western corridor and are feared to run dry by mid-December.According to the water board chief, the supply cuts are likely to extend beyond the IT corridor to areas such as Sanathnagar and SR Nagar, as well as pockets of the upscale neighbourhoods of Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. These areas, too, are expected to face cuts of 30% to 50% in their regular water supply, he said.
Western Hyd faces deficit of 100MGD
While water availability from the Krishna and Godavari sources is expected to sustain supplies until the next monsoon, the depletion of Singur and Manjeera reserves leaves a massive gap in supply to parts of the city that the water board will struggle to bridge,” Ashok Reddy said.The western corridor is currently grappling with a drinking water deficit of around 100 MGD (million gallons per day), raising concerns over the extent of the shortage in the coming weeks.
Mitigation plan
To tide over the crisis, the water board is banking on its long-pending plan to bring in an additional 40 MGD of Godavari water, Ashok Reddy said. The proposed additional supply is expected to partially bridge the deficit.“However, transporting Godavari water from Shamirpet to the western corridor, particularly Gachibowli, Narsingi and Kukatpally, remains a major challenge. Work is under way to establish the required connectivity,” he said.As part of the plan, a ring main, a pipeline network forming a closed loop around the targeted area, is being developed to distribute the additional 40 MGD among parts of the western corridor. The connectivity works are expected to be completed by November 15.Even with this intervention, the water board estimates that it will be able to make up only 50 to 60 MGD of the existing 100 MGD deficit.
Curbs for realty sector
With the looming shortage likely to put additional pressure on available water resources, the board has also urged real estate developers across Hyderabad to use treated wastewater for construction activities instead of depending on borewells.According to Telangana Builders Federation, a residential project with 500 flats under construction requires around 15 water tankers a day for its water needs.“The industry has been advised to procure treated water via designated ‘green tankers’ from STPs for construction-related activities, including curing, as well as gardening and landscaping in existing residential communities,” said N Jaideep Reddy, president of CREDAI Hyderabad.
