HYDERABAD: Residents of Secunderabad Cantonment are facing an acute shortage of drinking water. The supply through public taps is no longer for one hour every four days, but for just half an hour, once in five days. This has led to a spurt in the demand for water tankers. But the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has just 13 tankers, and with borewells in residential colonies drying up, residents have to wait for at least two days to get water.
“Since we get water only for 30 minutes, and that too once in five days, we have no option but to depend on water tankers, which cost Rs 420 each,” said Kakaguda resident R Urmila, wondering how her family would make it through summer. She alleged that the authorities were hand in glove with those who run private water tanker services, and said, “The tankers are deliberately delayed, and we are charged an extra Rs 200 if we want them soon. Private tankers, on the other hand, are extremely expensive.”
Speaking to Express, Confederation of Cantonment Residents Welfare Association (CCRWA) general secretary Telukuntia Satish Gupta blamed the State government for the situation.
“The ruling TRS party’s working president, KT Rama Rao, has failed to fulfil the promises he made during the election campaign, that water would be supplied to residents of Secunderabad Cantonment at half the price, and would be provided on alternate days. Now we understand it was an empty promise made only to get our votes,” Satish said, and alleged that public representatives were working day and night only to fill their own pockets.
SCB’s vice-president J Ram Krishna said the government would fulfil all its promises of water on alternate days to the residents of the area once the election code is lifted.