HYDERABAD: With summer water stress looming, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) will deploy the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to inspect construction sites and curb the overuse of potable water and groundwater. The move comes as the state government makes the use of treated wastewater for construction and landscaping mandatory from November 1.
Marketed as Green Tanker water, treated wastewater will be supplied for non-drinking purposes, with the water board targeting 100 million litres a day (MLD) to save an equivalent volume of groundwater. The government plans to enforce these measures until the El Niño period ends, amid concerns over its possible impact on rainfall, HMWSSB managing director K Ashok Reddy told TNIE.
The board has urged public institutions, households, commercial establishments and real estate developers to reduce their daily potable water and groundwater consumption by at least 20% by switching to treated wastewater. Such a reduction across consumption points could save an estimated 110–120 MGD.
Institutions such as the Botanical Garden in Gachibowli and Lok Bhavan already use treated wastewater through dedicated pipelines for landscaping and gardening.
To meet rising demand, the Board plans to expand its Green Tanker filling stations from 13 to 30. Filling points at high-demand facilities such as Amberpet sewage treatment plant (STP) are also being increased to allow five tankers to be filled simultaneously.
Construction companies, industries and large commercial establishments can book tankers through the app, with standardised, subsidised rates aimed at encouraging wider adoption. The board is also using its Pani app to enlist public participation in water conservation. Nearly 10,000 volunteers can use the platform to report water misuse, Ashok Reddy said.
In another initiative, the HMWSSB is connecting gated communities with surplus treated wastewater to nearby construction sites and landscaping projects. Inspections are under way at sewage treatment plants in GHMC-approved gated communities, and more than 50 residential communities have registered to supply excess treated water through the Pani app instead of discharging it into drains.
Third-party certification through the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute will monitor parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) to ensure the water meets standards for construction and landscaping.
