Hyderabad’s water supply system is set for further restrictions as the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) prepares to reduce supplies to the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, the Ordnance Factory and Bharat Dynamics Limited by 20 to 50 per cent amid critically low storage in the Singur reservoir.
Sources in the HMWSSB told Telangana Today that the board had asked the four organisations to make alternative arrangements for their water requirements until next June, when fresh inflows into Singur are expected. The reservoir supplies these institutions as well as parts of Hyderabad through the wider water network.
Singur currently holds 3.70 TMCft of water against its full storage capacity of 29.91 TMCft, leaving it at about 12 per cent of capacity. The depletion has placed pressure on the Manjeera system, which is also being used to meet immediate drinking-water requirements.
Singur irrigation officials released 0.150 TMCft of water into the Manjeera, while the Manjeera reservoir had only 0.200 TMCft in storage, according to the report. The release is intended to support immediate drinking-water needs as the reservoirs approach critically low levels.
The HMWSSB has also been restricting supplies to beverage companies in Sangareddy, although officials did not provide complete details of the quantities being delivered. Sources said supplies to beverage firms had been gradually reduced, but one company was still receiving 5,000 litres of water on Monday. Water deliveries to chemical companies had recently been stopped because of the shortage.
The reported decision places major institutions and industrial users under pressure to secure alternative supplies while the HMWSSB manages water available for drinking-water needs. The planned restrictions also show how falling reservoir levels are affecting not only household distribution but the industrial and institutional users connected to the same supply system.
The immediate concern is the pace of depletion. The Singur reservoir is expected to run dry within a month, according to the report, while the HMWSSB is asking affected organisations to plan for reduced supplies until the next expected inflows in June. The board’s next steps will determine how restrictions are implemented across institutional, industrial and other non-domestic users as storage continues to decline.
