Hyderabad: Persistent water scarcity has plagued residents of Secunderabad Cantonment, sparking demands for the integration of the area into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Officials report a significant shortfall in the water supply, with the cantonment’s current provision of approximately 63 lakh gallons falling well short of the required 80 lakh to 1 crore gallons needed to meet the needs of its growing population.
Residents are grappling with increasingly severe water shortages, receiving supply only once every three to four days, a marked decrease from the previous alternate-day schedule. The situation has heightened calls for the proposed merger with GHMC, which many believe could offer a more reliable and sustainable solution. General Secretary of the Cantonment Vikas Manch, a longstanding resident, voiced his frustration, stating, “The water supply has been insufficient for years. Our growing population has outstripped the available resources. We were also bypassed for the Godavari water pipeline, which went directly to Sanathnagar. We need urgent action from our leaders to address these shortages.”
Residents near Secunderabad Club are particularly affected, managing with water deliveries only once a week. They have resorted to storing water in large underground sumps and overhead tanks with capacities of up to 40,000 litres, all while contending with intermittent power cuts. The hope is that merging with GHMC will alleviate some of these issues. In Kakaguda, a resident reported that six households have been without drinking water for the past 15 days, despite repeated complaints to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB). Similarly, residents of Sripuri Colony have been without drinking water for three weeks, with promises of a solution yet to materialise.
A senior official from the SCB’s water supply department indicated that the current water provision is limited to once every three days. The SCB has requested an additional 73 lakh gallons from the government and has made a payment of ₹2 crore for this purpose. Despite these efforts, the persistent shortages have intensified calls for administrative changes that could lead to more efficient water management.
