The open conduit that carries water from Osmansagar to Asifnagar filter beds to meet the drinking water needs of several parts of the Old City would be closed and pipelines would be laid to avoid pollutants contaminating the water and also to check illegal drawl of water using motors.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which has prepared a detailed project report sometime ago has submitted it to the state government and the government has agreed to the proposal, HMWS&SB managing director J Syamala Rao told Express.

The old open conduit running from Osmansagar to Asifnagar filter beds through a length of 14.5 km is being exploited by people, who draw untreated water illegally by pumping it out. At some places, people have damaged the conduit resulting in contamination of water, he added.

The estimated cost of the project would be around `110 crore and the state government is contemplating to tap funds from Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), mega city funds and others, he said.

The open conduit was constructed using stone and lime mortar during the Nizam period.

HMWS&SB is drawing raw water from Osmasnagar reservoir and supplying 20 mgd to Asifnagar filter beds.

If new pipelines are laid and the open conduit closed, it will ensure clean and potable drinking water to Ahmednagar, Tolichowki, Langer House, Chintalbasthi, Humayunnagar, Vijayanagar colony, Mehdipatnam and other localities and pilferage can be checked.

Water Board officials said the state government, in 2007, issued orders to protect the raw water channel from Osmansagar to Asifnagar filter beds, according to which no plots layout or building permission should be granted by the GHMC and other departments concerned within 100 feet from the conduit boundary.

Besides, there are other measures to protect the conduit, like 10-foot green belt. Sewerage water discharges are not allowed from the layout towards the conduit. However, these orders are being violated and no efforts are made by the officials to check illegal constructions, he said.