HMWSSB to build 16,000 rainwater pits in 90 days under groundwater revival plan

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has unveiled a plan to construct 16,000 rainwater harvesting pits across the city within the next 90 days to improve groundwater recharge.

The decision follows instructions from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, with the initiative targeting all areas within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) under the banner of ‘One Harvesting Pit for Every Home’.

The plan was reviewed during a Zoom meeting chaired by HMWSSB Managing Director Ashok Reddy and Executive Director Mayank Mittal. Officials and NGO representatives joined the discussion.

MD Ashok Reddy instructed officials to identify locations for pit construction within a week. Awareness drives will focus on gated communities, apartment complexes, and colonies to highlight the importance of groundwater recharge.

HMWSSB is also preparing proposals to convert defunct borewells into injection borewells, especially to counter summer water shortages that increase dependency on tanker supply.

Executive Director Mittal directed the IT wing to develop a mobile app for geotagging and uploading before-and-after images of each pit. A dashboard is under development to monitor the initiative’s daily progress.