Hyderabad: Property owners who do not have rainwater harvesting pits on their premises will be charged double for tankers from the water board, starting from the New Year. The HMWS&SB has decided to make the construction of rainwater harvesting pits compulsory for all property owners in the GHMC area.
The HMWS&SB is serving notices to 17,000 property owners who have not built the rainwater harvesting pits on their premises. To date, 14,000 notices have been sent, with the remaining notices to be served shortly.
The board is doubling the charges for water tankers starting January 1, for the property owners who fail to construct functional harvesting pits by December 31. The initiative was started to improve the groundwater levels across the GHMC area.
Speaking with Deccan Chronicle, revenue director of HMWS&SB V.L. Praveen Kumar said, “Regularly purchasing water from tankers can become quite expensive over time. For instance, if Rs.500 is spent per day on water tanker, this amounts to Rs. 15,000 per month and Rs.1,80,000 in a year.”
According to the sources, the recent summer saw a depletion of groundwater levels, leading to the drying up of bore wells. Consequently, many residents have been depending heavily on water tankers, with the water board supplying multiple tankers of water every day to meet the rising demand.
By making the rainwater harvesting pits compulsory, the HMWS&SB aims to encourage sustainable water management practices among residents.
