The Times of India            05.08.2013

Water only once in 3 days from Aug 15

HYDERABAD: Come August 15, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will roll out an Independence Day 'gift' to residents of the city - water once in three days.

The Water Board has been supplying water on alternate days since 2010 due to poor inflows into the two reservoirs that serve the city - Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. Ironically, though the Water Board sources nearly 300 of the 340 million gallons per day (MGD) it supplies to the city from Singur and Krishna which have received considerable inflows, it has still decided to cut down supply citing poor inflows into the two reservoirs on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

"Though there has been good rainfall across the state and major reservoirs received enough water, the city's drinking water sources are empty. Based on the availability of water levels in the twin reservoirs Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, we prepared an action plan regarding supplies last week. As per the feedback given by general managers of various operations and divisions, we have decided to supply water only once in three days," a senior HMWS&SB official told TOI.

The Water Board would implement the decision from August 15 onwards. It has also decided to cut the quantity of the supply by 10 million gallons per day (MGD) from both the reservoirs. Presently, the board has been supplying 317 MGD of water to the city, the official said.

As per official records, there are 7.90 lakh water connections in and around the city. Of them, around 4.5 lakh connections have been getting water on alternate days from 2010, while the remaining 5.4 lakh connections have been getting supplies only once in three/four/five days a week. "We will supply water once in three days to 4.5 lakh water connections which covers nearly half the city. For others, there will be no change in schedule," the official said.