The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has launched the PAANI app to help residents report drinking-water wastage, including vehicle washing, overflowing sumps and leaking pipelines, with verified complaints eligible for incentives and violators facing penalties.
The app was launched on Thursday amid concerns over water availability. Residents can upload photographs of suspected violations, including the use of potable water to wash vehicles, overflowing household storage tanks and unauthorised water connections. Complaints will be routed to the concerned water board officials for verification and follow-up action, according to officials.
Consumers found guilty of wasting water will face penalties ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. The water board will also provide incentives to complainants for every complaint that is verified. The system is intended to create a direct reporting channel between neighbourhood residents and the agency responsible for Hyderabad’s water supply and sewerage services.
Residents interested in participating can register as water volunteers through the official HMWSSB website. The initiative is open to citizens, government employees, young people, colony welfare association members and representatives of voluntary organisations, transport minister and Hyderabad in-charge Ponnam Prabhakar said at the launch.
“Residents who notice drinking water being wasted or misused can report such instances through the PAANI app. Officials will verify the complaints and take appropriate action,” Prabhakar said. He added that volunteers involved in water conservation would be recognised and encouraged.
The minister said water conservation could not remain the responsibility of the government alone and described it as a social responsibility, particularly amid depleting groundwater reserves and the possibility of El Niño affecting water availability. His remarks place the app within a wider effort to monitor everyday consumption, rather than treating water loss only as an issue involving the public water network.
The categories listed for reporting cover both household and commercial use. Prabhakar urged households, hotels, hospitals, lodges and other commercial establishments to review their water consumption. He specifically said drinking water should not be used for washing vehicles or cleaning floors when alternatives were available.
The app’s operation will depend on the verification process before penalties or incentives are applied. The HMWSSB has said officials will examine submitted complaints and take appropriate action, but the launch announcement did not specify the verification timeline, the size of the incentives or the procedure for challenging a penalty. Those details will determine how the citizen-reporting system functions in practice.
For Hyderabad residents, PAANI adds an enforcement and reporting layer to the city’s water-management system. Its immediate focus is visible wastage and misuse, while the water board’s stated approach relies on residents identifying problems, documenting them through photographs and enabling officials to follow up through an institutional channel. Registration for water volunteers is available through the HMWSSB website.
