HYDERABAD: For the first time in the state, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has set up a pontoon with pumps on the Himayatsagar surface to extract water.
Two motor pumps, each with a capacity of 150 HP, have been affixed to the pontoon and connected to water pipelines. Currently undergoing trial runs, this setup will help the Water Board extract an additional seven million gallons per day (MGD) starting next week.
The pontoon was deployed on the surface of the Himayatsagar using cranes. The plan is to draw water not from the reservoir’s bottom sluice at 1,730 feet but from the top surface to a depth of below one metre. The Water Board says that this will help in drawing improved water quality that will have better aeration with dissolved oxygen and reduced foul smell and odours.
Earlier, residents complained about smelly and discoloured water from the Himayatsagar. This was attributed to extraction from the reservoir’s bottom levels lacking adequate aeration. The Water Board has allocated `60 lakh to set up the pontoon and laying pipeline, as part of its summer contingency plan.
The seven MGD increase in water supply will benefit not only nearby localities but also areas within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits. Currently, the level at the reservoir is at around 1,758.500 feet (FTL is 1,765.5 ft), with a full capacity of 2.967 tmcft, of which approximately 2.120 tmcft is available. Presently, the Water Board extracts around 25-26 million litres per day (MLD) from the Himayatsagar, and this will rise with the new pumping arrangement.