HYDERABAD: As many as 30 scheduled surgeries have been postponed at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad on Monday morning owing to non availability of water. On an average, NIMS witnesses a footfall of 2000 outpatients each of whom arrive at the hospital with 3-4 attendants. This apart, the hospital shelters 1500 in-patients and 2000 staff members.
Water supply to the hospital has been stopped since Sunday morning in the wake of major junction repair works taken up at Banjara reservoir of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). However, hospital authorities informed that the water supply has partially resumed on Monday afternoon.
"Till Sunday evening, we managed with reserved water. There is no water in toilets too," said a guard at one of the speciality blocks. A Damaiyya and his mother Ramalamma, from Kalwakurthy, said: "Like everyone else, we too bought five litre drinking water can paying Rs 60. We are going to come back only in the evening as we cannot stay here now."
Hospital Medical Superintendent N Satyanarayana, explaining the crisis, said that the hospital's water consumption stood at 2000 kilo litres a day and any reduction in that would hit the day to day operations. "We were expecting supply to resume by last night. Even in the morning it did not. Fortunately, by afternoon, the supply has been partially resumed," he said. All scheduled operations had to be cancelled and will be rescheduled, he added.
According to him, such a situation does not arise even in peak summers. "Our hospital spread across 25 acres is sitting on a bedrock. We have 6-8 borewells dug but even at 1000feet depth, there is no water available. We are totally depended on the Metro water works," added Satyanarayana.
With a harsh Summer and severe water crisis looming large on the hospital, authorities here are working on strategies for survival. "Heads of all departments and administration will soon meet to devise strategies to beat any further water crisis. We may have to cut down on admissions and surgeries, and may be shut a few services down," he added. However, in the peak summers, he said, not many surgeries are performed.