HYDERABAD: The protests of the city legislators at the recent meeting of the Hyderabad district review committee on the drinking water crisis
appears to have paid off. Following their protests, the Hyderabad
Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has decided
to dig fresh power bore wells in all the 15 assembly constituencies in
Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 6 crore.

The Water Board
has decided to go ahead with the move, perhaps due to the pressure from
the elected representatives, despite the fact that the ground water
table in Hyderabad heavily discourages digging of borewells. Of the
5,600 hand bore wells in the Greater Hyderabad region, 1,200 have gone
kaput as the groundwater levels plummeted. Of the 1,000 power bore
wells, 250 are not functional.

In view of the depleting ground
water table, it might be necessary to dig around 1,000 feet deeper in
some places in order to draw water. At the recent DRC meeting, Hyderabad
collector Syed Murtuza Rizvi had said that the authorities might need
to dig up to 800 feet in some places to draw water in view of the
drinking water crisis.

“The MLAs have been requested to
identify about 10 such spots in each of their constituencies where power
bore wells will be dug. The Hyderabad Water Board will spend Rs 6 crore
for the same. In a day or two, we will invite tenders for digging 150
new power bore wells in the city assembly constituencies,” HMWS&SB
director of operations P Manohar Babu told TOI.

The new power bore wells should be ready by May first week, the official added.