HYDERABAD: With the water level in five reservoirs - considered to be the lifeline of the Pearl City - plummeting to a record low, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has initiated steps to bring Godavari water to Hyderabad soon.
Continuing its efforts to ensure adequate supply of water to the city, HMWS&SB is all set to start the trial run of Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project (GDWSP) Phase-1 by this month-end, as only 15 km of pipeline works are remaining to be completed, said minister for Commercial Taxes T Srinivas Yadav here Tuesday.
GDWSP Phase-I project, developed at an expense of `3,375 crore, aims to draw 172 MGD of water (10 TMC) from river Godavari and supply to Hyderabad and its suburban areas.
Addressing media persons after reviewing the progress of HMWS&SB schemes with officials at Water Board head office on Tuesday, Srinivas Yadav said that water levels at Himayathsagar, Osmansagar, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Manjira and Singur reservoirs, that supply drinking water to Greater Hyderabad and outskirts of the city, have sunk to a record low due scanty rainfall.
“There is no need for panic as the state government has initiated steps to overcome the drinking water crisis. The government has directed HMWS&SB to conduct the trial run of GDWSP this month-end and see that Godavari water flows to the city at the earliest,” he added.The minister said that chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has held talks with Defence and South Central Railway (SCR) authorities seeking permission to lay HMWS&SB pipeline on their lands.
Srinivas Yadav said that the Phase-3 project works of Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme (KDWSP) had almost been completed, barring a 900-metre pipeline work at Prashashan Nagar, which had been stalled due to litigation. The KDWSP Phase-3 (90 MGD) has been partly commissioned (45) and if 900 metres of pipeline is laid the remaining 45 MGD can be commissioned. As many as 20 lakh people would be benefited from the 45 MGD of water if the court case is settled.
HMWS&SB managing director B Janardhan Reddy will hold talks with senior citizens and civil society members who approached the court, he said.
The minister also informed that a coordination committee comprising senior officials from the GHMC, HMWS&SB, TSCPDCL, Police, HMDA and other departments would be established to ensure that civic works were not affected due to delays.
The State Government would construct two huge reservoir tanks at Keshavpuram and Malkapur to store adequate quantity of water in the future, he added.Srinivas Yadav urged the denizens of Hyderabad to avoid drawing water illegally and regularise their connections. The HMWS&SB would conduct field visits to keep a tab on private water tankers that draw water illegally and sell it at exorbitant rates, he warned.