Metro water tanker delay hits parched areas in city
Residents wait nearly a week post-booking
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Water Board claims to have implemented measures to ensure an adequate drinking water supply, including delivering water via tankers within 24 hours. However, the on-ground reality tells a very different story. The Water Board has failed to meet the demand in the city. Locals have complained about the delay in water tanker delivery where there is a priority.
According to sources, there is a high demand for water tankers in areas like Old Hafeezpet, Izzatnagar, Nampally, Asif Nagar, IDA Jeedimetla, Nizampet, and Tolichowki. Despite bookings, tankers are often not delivered on time, with residents reportedly waiting nearly a week from the date of booking.
A few consumers alleged that due to the delay in HMWSSB tankers, locals are forced to depend on private tankers.
The HMWSSB domestic tanker cost is Rs 500 for 5,000 liters of water and Rs 850 per 5KL for commercial, whereas private water tankers charge about Rs 1500–Rs 1,800 for the same.
“Despite the Water Board’s claim that tankers are being delivered within 24 hours to meet the demand, the reality appears quite different. For the past two months, we have been facing serious issues. Every time the concerned officials are contacted, they assure that the tanker will arrive soon, but it never does. Due to the unavailability of water tankers, we are left with no choice but to purchase mineral water cans to meet our daily needs,” said Syed Mohammad of Asif Nagar.
“It’s been over a week since I booked a water tanker, but we still haven’t received it. This isn’t the first time—since the third week of January, we’ve been hiring tankers, and even then, they only arrive after multiple follow-ups with the Water Board. If this situation continues, residents are likely to face a severe water shortage during the peak summer months,” said Sai Teja, a resident of Nizampet.
On the condition of anonymity, a senior officer HMWSSB, said, “Typically, the demand for water tankers begins towards the end of March. However, this year, a surge in demand started as early as the last week of January, reaching an all-time high. However, water tankers are being supplied within 24 hours.”
