Hyderabad:
The Telangana Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, recently instructed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to increase water supply to the Secunderabad Cantonment area by an additional 1 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). However, the Water Board has not yet taken any action to implement this directive.
If the extra water supply is provided, residents in the area could receive water every other day. The increase would boost the total daily water supply from the current 6.3 MGD to 7.3 MGD. Right now, the 6.3 MGD being supplied is not enough for the growing population, leading to a situation where locals receive water only once every four or five days.
Last week, the State government approved the increase in water supply to meet the needs of the expanding population. The government also directed HMWSSB Managing Director Ashok Kumar to ensure the additional 1 MGD is provided. Despite this, Cantonment officials are still waiting for confirmation from the Water Board about when the extra water supply will start.
Local residents had their hopes raised by the Chief Minister’s promise of an additional 1 MGD of water. However, more than a week has passed, and they still haven’t received any extra supply. Currently, they are getting water only once every four to five days, with very low pressure, and the supply lasts just 45 minutes. This situation has left them frustrated, and they are urgently requesting an alternative-day water supply to ensure more reliable access to drinking water.
Ramesh, a resident of Karkhana, expressed his frustration, saying, “It has been more than seven days since we last received water, and despite informing the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), our issue remains unresolved. They always give us false hopes. It would be better if the Hyderabad Water Board releases the additional 1 MGD soon.”
A senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that they have not yet received any instructions from the HMWSSB about when the additional water supply will begin or whether there will be any changes in the charges. The official also mentioned that the HMWSSB previously demanded a Rs 24 crore deposit to secure the additional 1 MGD of water. This demand was met with objections, as the additional water supply is just an extension of existing lines, with no new infrastructure being laid. A representation requesting a waiver of this large connection charge was submitted last year, but there has been no response so far.
