The Hindu 08.03.2013
Water crisis looms over Hyderabad
Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs to go dry by April end.
Hyderabadis, get ready for dry days and some unpleasant
facts. The city is in for a severe water crisis, though officials
wouldn’t admit. Both the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs will go
dry by April end and the city has to make do with reduced supplies from
other sources. What it means is a shortfall of 40 to 50 mgd during the
peak summer.
Levels in the principal city reservoirs
are falling at an alarming rate. Himayatsagar can supply 13 mgd through
gravity only up to March 10 and Osmansagar (17 mgd) up to March 31.
Arrangements are in place to take up emergency pumping from Himayatsagar
from March 11 and Osmansagar from April 1. Drawls are expected to
further come down by 2 mgd from both these sources.
The
situation in the Singur reservoir is no better. Through gravity the
present quantum of 75 mgd can be drawn up to April and with pumping the
supplies will last till August. That is, provided the water is not
released for irrigation purpose. There is a demand for release of 2.5
tmcft to meet irrigation requirements.
The Irrigation
Department is asked to maintain a level of + 510 ft in Krishna. A drop
of two feet will necessitate emergency pumping for which arrangements
are under process.
Meanwhile, the ground water level
in Hyderabad and surrounding areas is giving cause for worry. From
November to December, the water level dropped by half metre and from
December to January it registered a fall of one metre. In February it
went down by 1.5 metres. “The groundwater table will sink further in the
coming months as the drawls increase,” says J. Satyanarayana, Assistant
Director, Ground Water Department.
Equitable distribution
The
Board’s main worry is how to meet the shortfall during May. “There is
no alternative but to reduce the supplies and ensure equitable
distribution of water,” officials say.
With the level
in Himayatsagar reservoir going down fast, the Board has increased the
diversion of Krishna water from 2 mgd to 6 mgd to areas served by this
reservoir. Supplies to bulk consumers, mostly industries, are also cut
down by 15 per cent.
Interestingly, the government is
yet to release Rs. 55 crore sought by the Water Board to meet the
summer challenge. However, pending the sanction of funds, the Board is
going ahead with the contingency action plan.
The
Board has already installed 4 pump sets at Osmansagar and 3 at
Himayatsagar to start emergency pumping from the dead storage when the
level comes down to 1,762 ft and 1,740 ft respectively. The Board is
also taking steps to improve the raw water quality in the twin
reservoirs by removing excess colour, odour and other adverse quality
changes. The IIT Kharagpur has been asked to monitor the raw water
quality and take up bio-remediation studies, it is said.
