The Deccan Chronicle 22.10.2010
Water Board gets less than Rs 35 croreOct. 21: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board is supplying 332 million gallons of water per day in the city but is collecting bills for only 145 MGD. It does not keep tabs on the remaining 187 MGD of water. Under the six different tariff slabs, the Water Board should get over Rs 60 crore every month for the 332 MGD water. However, it is getting less than Rs 35 crore despite issuing bills for 96 per cent of its total 7.40 lakh connections.
But the officials claimed that 15 per cent of the water is lost in wastage and another 15 per cent is supplied to religious and charitable institutions, enquiries by this correspondent revealed that around 35 per cent water is lost in leakages and wastage. There are only 1.11 lakh connections in the city which have meters and regular bills. For the remaining connections (non-metered), only a minimum bill of Rs 126 per month is charged though they are consuming three times more water.
The principal secretary (municipal administration and urban development), Mr T.S. Appa Rao, has pulled up the Water Board for its negligence. “We are installing meters for all connections to solve this issue,” said the Water Board executive director, Mr Ashok Reddy.
