El Nino Threat: Govt To Pump Additional 60 MGD Drinking Water to Hyderabad

 Hyderabad: The state government plans to mobilise an additional supply of 60 million gallons a day (mgd) of water for the city, on top of the 560 mgd supplied every day, in view of the drinking water stress likely to be caused by El Nino conditions of high temperatures and deficit rainfall.

The government proposes to draw, for the CURE limits within the Outer Ring Road, 15 mgd more from the Krishna river and utilise 20 mgd, and if necessary an additional 20 mgd, from Mission Bhagiratha, and an additional five mgd from the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar.

By November, pipeline work from the Mallannasagar to the city woud be completed, making another 20 mgd available.

These details were provided during a review meeting that Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju held with senior officials to review the drinking water situation in CURE limits. He said that if people in the three municipal corporations of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri conserved just 20 per cent of their water consumption, around 80 mgd could be saved every day.

Jaju said all measures were being taken to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to the city despite the El Nino conditions. He appealed to people to conserve water and cooperate with the government in managing the available resources efficiently.

He asked officials to curb the wastage of drinking water, particularly its use for washing vehicles, and launch an intensive 60-day public awareness campaign on water conservation. The campaign would involve film actors, celebrities and other prominent personalities to encourage people to adopt water-saving practices. Jaju appealed to residents to treat every drop of water as a valuable resource and use it judiciously to help the city tide over the challenges posed by El Nino.

The Chief Secretary noted that groundwater levels in Greater Hyderabad had fallen significantly over the past two to three months resulting in increased demand for water tankers. He directed officials to take necessary measures to meet the growing demand and ensure that residents did not face hardship.

Emphasising the need to reduce pressure on freshwater sources, Jaju instructed officials to ensure that sewage treatment plants (STPs) in gated communities and apartment complexes functioned at full capacity. He called for awareness campaigns to encourage residents to use treated wastewater for gardening, vehicle washing and other non-domestic purposes.

Water Board officials informed the meeting that special green tankers were being arranged to supply treated wastewater for such uses.

The government was also preparing alternative arrangements for Medak, Nizamabad, Kamareddy and Sangareddy districts, which depend on the Manjeera and Singur reservoirs for water. Jaju said borewells and other alternative water sources had already been identified in these districts, taking into account the available water levels.