Hyderabad: After giving piped connections in the city, there has been a 60 per cent jump in the demand for water due to the delayed monsoon and drying up of borewells. The demand for tankers in Kukatpally, Gachibowli, Hitec City, Miyapur, Moosapet and other areas is at an all-time high.
The demand peaked in May but has not come down in July as the delayed monsoon is adding to the water woes.
The Water Board is still getting 3,000 requests per day.
A senior official of the board said, “Piped water is not sufficient and there is a need for additional water. It is mostly high-rise buildings, commercial complexes and offices which need the extra water.”
Water supply to areas in far-flung places in Kukatpally had 50 per cent requests pending in July. Due to constant complaints, requests from these areas are being adhered to and extra arrangements made to supply water to these areas.
The pending requests for tankers have reached 6,000. Delayed rain is adding to the woes of not only citizens but also the water department as the pumping of water into the reservoirs has seen a major rise.
A senior official explained that the estimated water demand in the core area of Hyderabad per household is 150 litres per day. The other periphery areas per household are estimated to require 80 to 100 litres per day.
“Earlier, people relied on ground water and that would take care of their household chores of washing and bathing. But last year, rainfall was not sufficient and the borewells dried up from January. Till there is good rainfall, recharge is not possible and the demand for municipal water will be at an all time high,” he said.
Officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board held a marathon meeting to discuss different places from where water is being drawn.
The HMWS&SB is drawing 172 million gallons a day of Godavari water at the Yellampally barrage and 270 mgd Krishna water from Nagarjunasagar.
While water is being pumped from various reservoirs, it is a fact that there is not sufficient water to carry out every day human activity. Citizens having no water for two consecutive days are opting for methods of closing down their home kitchens, skipping office and also making children skip school as they have to deal with minimal water till tankers refill again.
