HYDERABAD: Instructing the Water Board to draft a comprehensive plan to address the drinking water needs of Greater Hyderabad for the next 25 years, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday asked them to earmark 20 tmcft — instead of the proposed 15 tmcft — from Mallannasagar project as part of Godavari Phase-II project and also lay new pipelines parallel to the existing ones from the Manjeera project.
The draft plan should keep in view the rapid expansion of Hyderabad, including the increased population, by 2050, the chief minister told a review meeting with officials of the Hyderabad Water Board (HMWSSB) at the Integrated Command Control Centre here. He also directed the Water Board officials to include a sewage management plan alongside the water supply infrastructure and suggested that they could consult external agencies if required.
This was perhaps the first review meeting chaired by a chief minister on water needs of the city since the formation of Telangana 11 years ago.
Officials apprised Revanth of the option of sourcing water from Mallannasagar or Kondapochamma Sagar for the Godavari Phase-II project. Reviewing various reports and feasibility studies, it was decided that the project will utilise Mallannasagar water. The CM told officials to earmark 20 tmcft instead of the 15 tmcft proposed earlier, to cater to the city’s growing needs.
Water Board told to tap Jal Jeevan Mission funds
Officials informed the chief minister that the water distribution network spans 9,800 km, serving 13.79 lakh connections with water drawn from the Krishna, Godavari, Singur and Manjeera rivers. They also informed him that the infrastructure is aging — including pipelines from Manjeera laid in 1965 — and this has led to frequent service interruptions which take about 10 to 15 days to repair. Revanth directed the Water Board to draw plans to replace outdated pipelines and explore ways to tap funding from the Union government’s Jal Jeevan Mission.
During the meeting, HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy briefed the chief minister regarding the board’s financial status. He said that the Water Board faces a revenue deficit of Rs 8,800 crore, with dues amounting to Rs 4,300 crore from various government departments. Additional liabilities include power bills of Rs 5,500 crore and a loan repayment of Rs 1,847 crore, Ashok Reddy said.
The chief minister urged the Water Board to collaborate with the Finance department to devise an action plan. He also advised the Board to increase revenue by improving bill collection, exploring funding alternatives and obtaining low-interest loans for new projects.