Unauthorised water plants are making money in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The purification of water takes 12 processes, including filtering, aeration, carbon factorisation. After that, the manufacturers should keep the purified water aside for at least 48 hours before filling it in bottles, sachets and cans.

Following approval by the chemist, the water can be sent for sale. Most unauthorised plants fill bottles directly from the purification equipment without following the 12 processes.

Law says that the water bubble cans have to be made of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene, costing between Rs 280 and Rs 400 per can. Most manufacturers use cans made of low-cost material, bringing down the cost to Rs 100 per can.

Although manufacturers use more groundwater, no official from revenue department, GHMC or Water Board takes action against them.

In Hyderabad, most illegal water purification plants are located in Dilsukhnagar, Malakpet, Akbarbagh, Azampura, Saidabad, IS Sadan, Madannapet, RK Puram and Saroornagar. Other plants are at Jillelaguda, Meerpet, Balapur, Bad-angpet, Medipalli, Jawa-harnagar, Puppalaguda, Manikonda, Narsingi and Pahadisharif under gram panchayat limits. Serilingampally, Uppal, Malkajgiri, LB Nagar, Rajendranagar, Alwal and Kapra in Ranga Reddy district are the usual locations for the illegal manufacturers. Sources said some manufacturers were employing child labour at their units.

“There is child labour at a plant in Venkatramireddy in the Quthbullapur circle. Four plants at Bhagat Singh Nagar Tank in Quthbullapur are utilising groundwater round the clock. Some persons established plants at houses behind MB Grammar School at Suraram and on the Market Road,” the sources said.

“Water samples taken from these plants were found to contain coliform pathogens and other bacteria,’’ sources said.