HYDERABAD: Transport Minister and Hyderabad In-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Tuesday announced a special enforcement drive in water-scarcity areas of the Core Urban Region (CURE) for strict implementation of Rainwater Harvesting Structures (RWHS) to improve groundwater recharge.
Ponnam said special RWHS teams would be formed to inspect identified water-scarcity localities. House owners with premises above 200 square metres who do not have rainwater harvesting pits would be given time to construct them.
He warned that residents who continue to rely heavily on tanker water without implementing rainwater harvesting measures may face double tanker charges in future.
Ponnam said the government was preparing a comprehensive action plan to promote rainwater harvesting structures across the city. He stressed that conserving rainwater was a social responsibility and urged citizens to treat rainwater harvesting as a public movement.
He said rapid urbanisation and increasing concrete structures in Hyderabad were preventing natural groundwater recharge, making artificial recharge pits essential to tackle the long-term water crisis. He also warned that penalties would be imposed for misuse of drinking water.
Ponnam said the Congress government was implementing the Godavari Drinking Water Supply Scheme Phases II and III at a cost of nearly Rs 7,000 crore to meet future water needs.