Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad is not likely to lose out on its allocated drinking water from the Krishna and Godavari rivers due to bifurcation of the state. Experts said though sharing of river waters has emerged as a major issue between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, there will be no cut in the 56 tmc feet of water allocated to the city.
There are apprehensions among the people that the city would get less water because the allocation was made based on projected growth in population of Greater Hyderabad in united Andhra Pradesh. Now that Andhra Pradesh state will have its own state capital, the population explosion in Greater Hyderabad may not be as projected earlier.
However, officials of the Water Board said water allocations were made to Greater Hyderabad only after considering the requirements of other parts of Telangana and Seemandhra.
“The city will be the joint capital of both the states for the next 10 years and the demand for water is only increasing with the proposed ITIR region requiring 98 MGD daily and another 30 MGD by Tata Aerospace, Fab City and other hardware parks around the city,” a senior official said.
As on date, Greater Hyderabad has an allocation of 56 tmc feet of water out of which only 21 tmc is being supplied to the city per annum at the rate of 345 mgd every day. Out of the 56 tmc, as much as 30 tmc has been allocated from the Godavari river, another 16.5 tmc from the Krishna, 7 tmc from Singur and Manjira and another 3 tmc from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar
Officials said central monitoring boards would be set up for distribution and sharing of water for drinking purposes, irrigation and power production. Greater Hyderabad already faces a shortage of water supply. Only 21 tmc of the total 56 tmc is being drawn from various sources and 340 MGD water is being supplied daily to the city, though the demand is for 490 MGD daily.
“We are drawing 180 MGD from Nagarju-nasagar under Krishna Phase-I and Phase-II, 120 MGD from Singur and Manjira and 3 TMC ft from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. We will start drawing water from Godavari only after the completion of Phase-I of the Godavari drinking water project.
Likewise, by year end, we will be drawing another 90 MGD from Nagarjunasagar under Krishna Phase-III. The water demand of Hyderabad is expected to cross 900 MGD and the allocations were made in tune with the projected demand. If the allocations are revised based on the assumption that the city will not grow as projected in a united AP, it would be a blunder,” Water Board engineer-in-chief M. Satyanarayana said.
However, In less than a month from now, the new state government of Telangana will assume office and will face the Herculean task of raising Rs 18,000 crore in the next five years to ensure that drinking water supply and the sewerage networks in the city are reasonably maintained.
As on date, the demand for water supply in the city is 490 MGD, as a result, several areas in surrounding municipalities get supply once in five days and once a week during summer. Also, lack of water supply distribution network is also another reason for taps remaining dry for six days every week in hundreds of colonies.
Officials of HMWS&SB, along with experts from various consultancies, have prepared plans and project reports, which are estimated to cost Rs 18,000 crore.
“For the city the agenda of the new government would be to spend Rs 18,000 crore. And this will be only to ensure that reasonable standards are maintained on the water supply,” said sources.
Water Board managing director, J. Syamala Rao, confirmed that nearly Rs 18,000 crore would be needed for crucial water and sewerage projects to be executed.
