95 million litres wasted in Hyderabad each day

Hyderabad:At a time when several areas in Hyderabad are facing water shortage, nearly 95 million litres of water, or 3.5 million gallons a day (MGD) is being wasted each day due to leakages, illegal connections and unauthorised usage, according to sources. The Water Board supplies 550 MDG of water to the city, a portion of it never reaches consumers.

“While claims of 15-20 per cent total wastage are speculative, about two per cent of the water is lost during transmission and around 15 per cent is wasted in the distribution network. These distribution losses arise from several issues,” said V.L. Praveen Kumar, HMWS&SB revenue director.

The water board noted that one of the major causes for water loss is pipeline leakages. Many underground water pipelines are old and prone to cracks or bursts, especially in areas where they haven’t been upgraded in years.

Pressure fluctuations in the distribution network further weaken these pipelines, leading to seepage and loss of water.

Additionally, damaged walls near water pipelines allow water to escape, making the problem even worse. In some cases, leakages go unnoticed for days or even weeks before repairs are carried out, leading to water loss over time.

Illegal water connections are another major contributor to this wastage. Some households have multiple connections that remain unregistered with the board, which means their actual water consumption is not accounted for in official records. This not only leads to financial losses for the board but also results in excessive water usage in some areas while others struggle with shortages.

To put this wastage into perspective, the amount of water being lost daily could have been used to serve many households. In a city where many areas face water supply issues, resolving these leaks and controlling illegal connections could improve distribution and reduce dependency on alternative sources such as water tankers and borewells.

To address these issues, HMWS&SB is planning to implement a system of monitoring “dockets”, a grouping of consumer account numbers (CANs) assigned to specific meter readers. By tracking these dockets, the board aims to improve accountability, ensure accurate billing and identify discrepancies in water usage patterns. The Water board believes that this system will help detect unauthorised connections more effectively and provide a clearer picture of actual water consumption.