With monsoon set to hit the State shortly, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has taken up steps to clear obstructions along the water channels of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar for free flow of rain water from catchment areas into these reservoirs.

HMWS&SB Managing Director J Syamala Rao and senior Water Board officials took the media to the catchment areas, where works for the removal of silt and sand quarry material were on.

“We wanted to make all the water channels in the catchment areas of these two reservoirs free of obstructions and encroachments so that there is a natural flow of water,” Rao said.

Syamala Rao would be writing a letter to the Rangareddy District Collector A Vani Prasad to take action against illegal sand quarrying at Proddutur. During the inspection, it was found that persons involved in sand quarrying are digging nearby areas and dumping the waste material in the water channels leading to obstruction of water. The Board will keep a close watch on the illegal quarrying in the catchment areas.

Two patrolling teams will also be pressed into service at Osmansagar and Himayatsagar to take action against people involved in fishing, aquaculture and other illegal activities.

About the old open conduit running from Himayatsagar to Asifnagar Filter beds having a length of 14 to 15 kms where people are illegally drawing water through power motors, the Managing Director said a project report was being prepared for closing the open conduit     permanently and laying pipelines. The estimated cost would be around `110 crore.

“In the future,  Osmansagar and Himayatsagar will no longer be reliable sources of drinking water. They can be utilised as storage reservoirs. Only Krishna and Singur are reliable sources,” he said.

As many as 70 colleges mostly engineering colleges have come up in the last few years within the catchment of these areas. “We have requested the APPCB to take action as they lack sewerage treatment plant facilities. The Board wanted them to have individual sewage treatment facilities on their premises,” he said.

Presently, water levels in Osmansagar and Himayatsagar are too low and can meet the demand for drinking water only till this month-end. A good spell of rain in the catchment areas can fill up the reservoirs, he added.