Hyderabad: Anticipating water scarcity in the wake of El Nino, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has decided to launch a door-to-door awareness campaign using bicycle-mounted loudspeakers to warn people about the looming water crisis and urge them to conserve water.The move follows an ingenious initiative by Panchavati Colony Welfare Association, Manikonda, which deployed a bicycle-borne local with a loudspeaker to spread awareness about water conservation. Water board said it would deploy its linemen to ride through residential colonies during their routine duties, using mobile loudspeakers to urge residents to ‘save water by 20%’.The message carries a sense of urgency: water in the Singur and Manjeera reservoirs is expected to last only until Dec 15; use every drop judiciously. Besides calling for a 20% reduction in water use, the campaign would encourage households to construct and maintain rainwater harvesting pits and reuse water for non-potable purposes, including cleaning and gardening.According to officials, the campaign would be rolled out within a week and continue for the next eight months. The idea is to make the message a regular reminder for households, particularly during the morning hours, rather than rely solely on text messages sent to consumers’ registered mobile numbers, which may go unnoticed.“We believe the bicycle-mounted loudspeakers will offer a more direct and effective way of reaching out to residents. Most linemen already use bicycles to move around their assigned areas and are familiar with the neighbourhoods they serve. Equipping them with public address systems is expected to help spread awareness without requiring separate teams for the exercise,” a senior HMWSSB official (Cyberabad zone) said.HMWSSB offices told to cut water, power consumption by 20%The board has directed all its offices to reduce water and electricity consumption by at least 20%, with managing director K Ashok Reddy insisting that conservation must begin within the organisation before preaching it to the public.“Change should start with us. We should set an example for everyone. Before telling people to use water economically, we should practice it ourselves,” he said, instructing officials to implement conservation measures across all offices under the board’s jurisdiction.As part of the measures, the MD directed that air conditioners in all offices be maintained at 25 degrees Celsius and switched off after 5 pm. Exceptions would be permitted only for emergency maintenance requirements with specific approval from the concerned higher authorities.The board has also been asked to collect water discharged from air conditioners and reuse it for gardening, cleaning and other non-potable purposes.Ashok Reddy also directed officials to identify and immediately repair leakages in office buildings, toilets, pipelines, drains and water storage tanks. Special monitoring must be undertaken to ensure that water is not wasted anywhere on the premises.
