HYDERABAD: The Water Resources Council of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) has alleged that the State government was trying to protect the illegally encroached properties lying within the boundaries of the Full Tank-Level (FTL) of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar from submersion by releasing the flood water through their gates even before they reached their maximum storage capacity.
As of 5 pm on July 25, the water level of Osmansagar was 1,787 ft as against its FTL of 1,790 ft, whereas the live storage level of Himayatsagar was 1,760.70 ft as against its FTL of 1,763.50 ft.
“The claim that the two reservoirs have reached their near FTL is an indication that the storage capacity has shrunk because of encroachments inside the twin reservoirs in full knowledge of the State government. No action has been taken by the officials of HMWSSB, MAUD, or even the district collector of Rangareddy district, in spite of several representations submitted, with the latest being on June 23, 2022,” said Lubna Sarwath, State president, Water Resources Council, WICCI.
She said that the inflows and outflows are disproportionate, as outflows are six times higher than inflows as if there has been an attempt to deliberately keep the vast land tracks of the reservoirs dry. To prove her allegation, Sarwath furnished pictures of uprooted FTL pillars.