The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board
(HMWS&SB) is contemplating not to sanction new water connections
outside the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
The
water board requested the state government for limiting the
jurisdiction of the HMWS&SB to GHMC area and any new connections
outside the corporation limits can be given only in exceptional cases
with the approval of the water board.
Giving any new water
connections outside the GHMC area has become a costly affair for the
water board. At the board meeting held last week, the issue was brought
to the notice of chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is also the
board chairman.
Like GHMC, which has a jurisdiction of 625 sq km, no jurisdiction is marked for the HMWS&SB.
Board
officials told Express that outside the GHMC limits, there is no
adequate pipeline network. At present, the board is struggling to
strengthen water distribution network in the 12 surrounding
municipalities which are merged with GHMC a few years ago.
Consumers
living outside the GHMC limits are requesting for sanctioning of water
connections. Though the HMWS&SB is keen on providing water
connections, they are not in a position to do so because of the high
involved.
The consumer may be ready to pay a few thousand rupees
for water connection, but giving a new connection involves huge
expenditure as the board has to lay the pipelines.
If the state
government or the panchayat raj department meets the cost for laying the
main pipelines in the gram panchayats, the HMWS&SB can think of
giving water connections outside the GHMC limits.
Under the GHMC limits, the corporation is helping the HMWS&SB with funds, officials added.
The
HMWS&SB also wanted the state government to make approval mandatory
for bulk consumers who are demanding above 0.5 million gallons of water
per day (MGD).
There is a demand to supply water to Shankarpally,
Chevella, Maheshwaram, Ameenpur, Gunagal, Hayathnagar, Ibrahimpatnam,
Meerpet and Nasarlapally gram panchayats, which require more than 0.5
MGD.
The total demand from panchayats is about 10.20 MGD, while
from Rajiv Gruhakalpa at Chandanagar and Nizampet the demand is about
1.87 MGD.
