The Hindu     04.09.2014   

GHMC’s shoddy work irks water board

Heavy rainfall in the past one week has allayed fears of not having enough drinking water among officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), but it has left them displeased with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for the way they dealt with the overflowing rainwater in the city.

A senior HMWSSB official, on condition of anonymity, pointed out that every time it rains heavily, GHMC workers open manholes so that water does not remain on roads. “On doing that, the surplus rainwater then fills up the sewerage, due to which backwater levels increase and enter homes,” he lamented.

The official said that it was the duty of the civic body to maintain storm-water drains across the city that are supposed to contain excess or overflowing water. “Our nalas are being used as storm-water drains, even though they are present at several places in the core areas of the city,” he explained.

The civic body’s action, said the HMWSSB official, was due to improper maintenance of the storm-water drains. “I understand that it takes a lot of money to complete the task in the entire city, but it’s their responsibility to maintain the functioning of the drains so that water does not overflow on the streets,” he said.

The official, however, was happy with the fact that heavy rainfall increased the current water levels in the Himayatsagar and Osmansagar reservoirs, which he said would at least last till next March. As on Wednesday, the water level in the Himayatsagar reservoir reached 1754.700 feet, against its full reservoir level (FTL) of 1,763.500 feet. The Osmansagar reservoir has water up to 1,771.700 feet.