Hyderabad: Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju directed officials on Tuesday to strengthen drinking water arrangements across Hyderabad amid concerns over reduced reservoir levels due to El Niño.
He said the government had prepared measures to maintain uninterrupted Hyderabad drinking water supply despite the anticipated impact of the weather phenomenon. Jaju also appealed to residents to conserve water and cooperate with government efforts to maintain adequate drinking water availability.
Following the Chief Minister’s directions, Jaju chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting assessed supply preparedness across the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC) and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC).
During the meeting, he instructed officials to use available water resources efficiently. He also directed them to take preventive measures to ensure that residents faced no inconvenience from possible water shortages.
Hyderabad drinking water supply plan included additional 60 MGD
Jaju said Hyderabad’s core urban area primarily relied on five major water sources. These included Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, Manjeera, Krishna and Godavari. Together, these sources had approximately 560 million gallons per day (MGD) available for the city’s drinking water requirements.
However, authorities anticipated reduced reservoir water availability because of El Niño. Consequently, the government prepared a plan to mobilise an additional 60 MGD. Under the plan, officials proposed sourcing 15 MGD from the Krishna River and 40 MGD through Mission Bhagiratha. Another 5 MGD would come from Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar.
The additional arrangements formed part of the government’s efforts to maintain Hyderabad drinking water supply during the anticipated period of reduced reservoir availability. Officials informed the meeting that Mallannasagar reservoir had five thousand million cubic feet (5 TMC) of water available.
They said the pipeline project connecting Mallannasagar to Hyderabad was expected to reach completion in November. Once completed, the project was expected to provide an additional 20 MGD of water to Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Jaju directed officials to ensure that sewage treatment plants (STPs) in gated communities and apartment complexes operated at full capacity. He also emphasised the need to educate residents about reusing treated wastewater for non-domestic purposes.
These uses included gardening, washing vehicles and other activities that did not require drinking water. The Chief Secretary urged residents to adopt water conservation practices and support government measures aimed at maintaining adequate drinking water availability across Hyderabad.