The Balamrai water reservoir, a British-era stone structure that supplied generations of residents in Secunderabad Cantonment, has been dismantled to make way for the Paradise–Suchitra Junction elevated corridor in Hyderabad. The site has been designated as the take-off zone for the NH-44 project, which is intended to create a signal-free route up to Suchitra Junction.
The reservoir stood within the Balamrai Pump House premises and formed part of the Cantonment Board’s water storage and distribution system. It received potable water from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and served nearly one lakh consumers in Balamrai, Anna Nagar, Indiramma Nagar, CBN Nagar, adjoining slums and other residential colonies. Defence families were also among the consumers dependent on the network.
The structure’s removal follows the decision to use the location for the elevated corridor’s starting section. The project requires the site for the road infrastructure and associated works, including the shifting of underground utilities and construction of new transmission infrastructure between Paradise Circle and Bowenpally.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has built a new pump house with a capacity of 2,300 kilolitres adjacent to the dismantled facility. S Raj Kumar, superintendent of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board’s Water Wing, told Telangana Today that the old pump house would not be completely abandoned and would remain available as an active standby facility.
“Currently, we have fully transitioned to utilising the new pump house to maintain the local water supply,” Raj Kumar said. The new facility is now being used for local supply, while the existing distribution arrangement remains operational during the transition to the replacement transmission network.
An SCB official said the old water distribution network would continue until the new trunk network is fully commissioned. “Until this new trunk network is fully commissioned, we are actively running the old water distribution network to ensure residents do not face any domestic inconvenience,” the official said.
The change places a major transport project alongside a continuing water-supply requirement for a densely settled part of the Cantonment area. The immediate operational priority is to maintain supply while new lines and underground utility works are completed. The elevated corridor’s take-off zone and the replacement water infrastructure are therefore being developed in the same area, with the new pump house intended to support continuity during the transition.
The source report did not specify a completion date for the new transmission network or provide details of the reservoir’s heritage documentation. For now, the SCB says the old distribution system will remain in use until the new trunk network is commissioned, while the new 2,300-kilolitre pump house handles current local supply.
