Hyderabad water board faces summer supply crunch
HYDERABAD: With summer approaching and the city’s rapid expansion pushing up demand, Hyderabad is staring at another season of water adjustment. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board is not in a position to supply even one additional million litres per day, officials said.
The city’s water demand has risen sharply due to urban expansion, but allocations from reservoirs have remained unchanged. Over the past year, close to one lakh new water connections were added, including bulk and multi-storeyed building connections, without a corresponding increase in supply.
Demand rises, allocations remain unchanged
Greater Hyderabad’s population is estimated to be close to two crore, with the city expanding in all directions. At the same time, groundwater levels continue to fall, while the water board is still managing with allocations fixed nearly a decade ago.
Demand for tanker water has already increased for drinking and other needs, even before peak summer. Officials said available water will once again be redistributed through adjustments.
Supply below demand, losses remain high
The city currently receives about 583 million gallons per day, equivalent to around 2,654.32 million litres per day. Demand has crossed 650 million gallons per day, while nearly 180–200 million gallons per day is lost due to wastage.
Within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, water supply has dropped by about 132.61 million litres per day compared with last year, while supply has increased in the Outer Ring Road areas by a similar margin. Officials said this was due to redistribution.
Some localities may face shortages
The water board is preparing coordination meetings with transmission departments to ensure supply across service areas under various drinking water schemes. However, officials acknowledged that some areas are likely to face shortages during the summer.
