Secunderabad Cantonment Board grapples with low water pressure

Hyderabad: Leaking local pipeline networks and less water supply from the Hyderabad Water Board are the reasons for low pressure of water in the Secunderabad Cantonment area.
With a population of four lakh, SCB needs 60 lakh gallons per day to fill the reservoirs.

However, often the Board only receives between 45- 52 lakh gallons per day, leading to low water pressure.

Raj Kumar, head of SCB water works, said, “Reservoirs are full when the Water Board provides 60-62 lakh gallons per day, but the supply fluctuates leading to low pressure. On June 14, we received only 52 LGPD.”

He said leakage in the local network is another main reason. “The Board will install an interjection line opposite the Stop and Go Bakery near the AOC Army gate, Marredpally. The interjection (600 mm pipeline), with a budget Rs 12 lakh will directly connect to the local network and colonies like Rukmini Devi, Krishnapuri etc. will receive good supply,” he said.

“However, I will order my technical team to check on the low pressure supply,” he added. Ajay Mathew, a resident of Radhika Colony, SCB, said, “Low pressure and irregular timings of SCB’s water supply have become a problem. Many residents are employees and the irregular timings of water supply bothers them a lot.” Water theft is also a prime reason for erratic water supply in the Secunderabad Cantonment Area.

Out of 55,000 households, only 20,000 have legal connections, from Balamrai to Bowenpally, 70 per cent of the connections in SCB are illegal.

Every year, the SCB pays the Water Board Rs 25 crore towards supply, while the corporation only gets Rs 2-3 crore from water bills. Two years ago the SCB owed Rs 55 crore to the Water Board.

The SCB pumps water from Balamrai to Karkhana for 12 hours every day. SCB gets bulk water from the Water Board at six bulk tapping points at Balamrai, Bowenpally, Gun Bazar, AOC Marredpally, Rudra Nagar and Mahendra Hills.