Hyderabad: Amid long-standing complaints from residents over erratic drinking water supply in Secunderabad Cantonment, the Telangana government has moved to chalk out a permanent solution by proposing the construction of overhead tanks, pumping stations, and new reservoirs in the area.
The initiative follows directions issued by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy last month to address the chronic water shortage. The state is ready to scale up supply from the current 5.9 million gallons per day (MGD) to 6.9 MGD, but officials say the absence of basic infrastructure, particularly land for storage and pumping units, is delaying implementation.
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director M. Ashok Reddy and Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) CEO Madhukar Naik, along with nominated Board member Banuka Narmada, have been involved in the groundwork to push the project forward. However, engineers say that the overhead tanks, pump houses, and ground-level reservoirs cannot be built without land allocation from the Cantonment Board.
Currently, much of the Cantonment area relies on a patchy mix of piped supply and private tankers. At least 3 lakh gallons of storage is required for every one lakh gallons of daily water supply to ensure pressure and continuity, a standard the area falls well short of.
“Adding to the delays is a Rs 20 crore due backlog the SCB reportedly owes to the water board, along with pending connection charges that have long held up expansion works,” said one of the officials. They plan to conduct a joint survey to identify technically viable locations for new storage infrastructure, but progress remains slow.
Residents, meanwhile, say that they’ve waited far too long. “We’ve been buying water from private tankers every summer. There is no pipeline supply in many areas, and where it exists, the pressure is too low,” said Harikumar V, a resident of Tirumalgiri.
Another resident said the problem has dragged on due to lack of coordination. “This isn’t about state versus Centre. People need water, and that should be the only priority. We just hope this results in action, not another delay.”
Senior officials from HMWS&SB, including chief general manager, bridges, general managers Rajashekhar, Sridhar and Vinod Kumar, DGM Vidyasagar, and SCB engineers including water wing superintendent Rajkumar and section managers Shravanti and Shashank, are involved in the planning efforts, the official informed.
If the project is executed, it will finally bring dependable water supply to nearly two lakh residents who have endured years of summer scarcity, despite living in one of Hyderabad’s most strategic zones.
