Hyderabad goes on water rations: supply once in three days, 8,000 tanker bookings a day and a Rs 1,000 fine for waste

Water in Hyderabad is now rationed. Areas that received supply on alternate days are being moved to once every three days, and parts of Secunderabad Cantonment and the outskirts to once every three or four. Tanker bookings have climbed to between 6,000 and 8,000 a day. For a city of one and a half crore people, the water board says this is what an El Nino monsoon has left behind.

The numbers explain the decision. Irrigation department figures put Osman Sagar at 2.2 TMC against a capacity of 3.5, Himayat Sagar at 2.1 of 2.5, Singur at 3.4 of 29.9 and Nagarjuna Sagar at 184.2 of 312. Only three of the city’s 16 mandals had adequate rain. Across the state, more than 330 of the 600-odd mandals are drought-hit and only about 500 of its 6,000-plus lakes hold water. Government sources expect some reservoirs to run out of usable water between the middle and the end of December, and the shortage to last until June.

Fines and green tankers

With Singur and Nagarjuna Sagar at precarious levels, the board is shifting its schedule to conserve what remains, Managing Director Ashok Reddy said, and officials have been told to register more tanker operators. Wasting drinking water now costs Rs 1,000 for a first offence, with heavier penalties for resident associations and homeowners who let overhead tanks and pumps overflow, and disconnection of water and sewerage connections for repeat offenders under the 1989 water board Act. From 1 November, green tankers will carry treated wastewater to construction sites, landscaping and similar uses. New borewell permissions for construction are restricted, though existing bores may be deepened. A groundwater audit covers all 16 mandals, and residents can report supply problems on the PAANI app.

Where new water might come from

The board is examining extra draws from the Godavari drinking water scheme and more Krishna water, and additional filter beds at Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy held an emergency meeting with senior ministers to review the precautions. Jayesh Ranjan, the special chief secretary for the Hyderabad metropolitan area, has directed officials to conserve electricity along with water.