A summer of discontent

With a delay in the advent of monsoon, many areas which have alarmingly low groundwater levels are facing the heat. Water supply in several areas which fall under the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits has taken a hit. With no water flowing from taps, the residents are forced to depend on water tankers. However, even tankers employed by the Water Board have stopped commuting since Friday. As a result, residents are forced to order private water tankers which only supply bore water. Even its supply is crunched and at Rs 2,000 for 10,000 litres, it’s a heavy price to pay for the civilians. More than 33 water tankers remained stationed throughout the weekend at the Water Board’s office at Marredpally.

Harish, secretary of the JS Apartments Residents Welfare Association, at Jyothi Colony, said, “The apartment owners have to depend on water tankers every year during summer not just for drinking but also for bare necessities. Due to lack of supply, many residents have been forcibly skipping office hoping that the water tanker would arrive. But there has been no water supply either by the SCB or by the Water Board.”

Ajai, a resident of Ishaq Colony, said, “People residing in Santoshi Residency and Gayatri Residency have been at loggerheads with office bearers. They have demanded the concerned authorities to look for other alternatives to resume water supply.” Prabhaker Rao, president, Jyothi Colony Residents Welfare Association, said, “Till the monsoon sets in and groundwater levels rise, residents have to depend on water tankers. The SCB is supplying drinking water hardly once or twice a week which has added to our woes.” Explaining the absence of water tankers, S Anand Swaroop, general manager (engineering), Water Board, Marredpally division, said, “Regular supply of 0.05 MGD (Million Gallons Per Day) Krishna water did not arrive due to a shutter breakdown at Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. The technical team and other engineers are working on it and we hope that the problem would be fixed at the earliest.”