HYDERABAD: Water woes and bad roads continue to haunt the people residing in areas beyond the Outer Ring Road (ORR) even as the monsoon is approaching. Though the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) assured that it will complete laying 2,863 km of drinking water pipelines as part of phase-II project, it could only complete about 280 km.
If the project does not make decent progress in the rest of this summer, the commuters who travel from the city outskirts to the ORR will have to face a nightmarish experience in the monsoon rains as roads are dug up for the pipeline works.
Officials said the project of providing water supply infrastructure to the extended areas of ORR villages was taken up in two packages. The agreement was concluded during January, with a completion period of 24 months.
Reservoirs were proposed to be built in five mandals of Rajendranagar, Patancheru, Qutbullapur, Medchal and Shamirpet, apart from other works. Works started in 31 locations with construction activities at different phases. The acquisition of land is being actively pursued by the respective departments.
Construction of a ground level storage reservoir (GLSR) or elevated level storage reservoir (ELSR) takes a minimum time of 9 to 12 months for completion.
Officials informed that the HMWS&SB had also taken up laying pipelines simultaneously in all the mandals. In the extended colonies, a water source is already available but without a pipeline network. The pipeline length under these priority locations, covering 73 colonies, is 116 km of which 71 km of pipelines have been laid through 52 colonies.
Work in remaining locations is going on at a brisk pace which is expected to be completed and commissioned as scheduled.
When asked about the current pipeline works, a senior HMWS&SB official said the board could complete about 280 km. Asked about whether works would be completed by December, as promised by the state government, the official refused to comment and informed that the commuters travelling from the city to ORR would face bumpy rides as several roads were dug up due to pipeline works. The official said the HMWS&SB was yet to alert the monsoon teams to take up the precautionary measures.
