Hyderabad: About 20,000 residents in Hafeezpet have been facing severe water crisis for the last three years. Residents claim that the Water Board had been supplying water through a 2-inch pipeline after regularising the water connection. Though several representations were made the issue remain unresolved.
Ahmed Pasha of Premnagar in Hafeezpet said, “Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) officials had been indifferent even after regularising water connections in November 2015. Severe water crisis prior to 2015 had forced many residents to lay illegal pipelines and draw water from Manjeera pipelines after bribing local leaders, he alleged. Residents took this decision since HMWS&SB tankers did not visit their area and people were fleeced by private tanker agencies.
Ahmed said that when connections were regularised, board officials had promised to lay 6-inch pipeline as part of Urban Mission Bhagiratha. But that work was running at snail pace and would take at least two more summers for completion.
“Even though we are at a throwaway distance from the Hitec City region, we are still deprived of drinking water facilities,” he added. Another resident of Marhanda Nagar S. Kiran Babu said that despite installing water meters at residences, the board was collecting bills on the basis of an assumption. Even after bills were paid, officials claimed that dues to from Hafeezpet area was Rs1 crore.
Complaints were even lodged with the local MLA and other public representatives. Though water supply was a poll agenda for all political parties, it was still to become a reality.
A senior Water Board official said the pending work pertaining to Urban Mission Bhagiratha would be completed in a month and the Board would supply water on regular basis very soon.
