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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Hyderabad homes skip rainwater pits, groundwater at risk
HYDERABAD: Despite clear rules, a majority of households in Hyderabad are failing to build rainwater harvesting structures (RWHS), raising concerns over groundwater depletion. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has issued nearly 69,575 building permits over the last five years (2020–2025), but only 23,239 homeowners constructed the mandatory soak pits, just one-third of the total. Authorities blame the dismal implementation on the lack of proper monitoring. RWHS pits are required for all residential buildings above 200 under the Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA), but enforcement remains weak. Officials from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) say occupancy certificates (OCs) should only be issued after verifying RWHS construction. However, this rule is often ignored as people don't bother applying for OCs. In 2024–25 alone, GHMC granted 11,509 building permissions, but only 4,578 property owners built soak pits. Of those, just 2,036 secured OCs. Overall, GHMC issued around 10,000 OCs in the last five years. GHMC says it is urging residents without RWHS to build them immediately, especially with the monsoon approaching. HMWSSB is also offering technical help through trained geologists. Rapid urbanisation has drastically reduced rainwater seepage, accelerating groundwater depletion. This summer, many borewells ran dry, pushing residents to depend on water tankers — a crisis that could worsen without stricter implementation of rainwater harvesting rules, said officials.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Water tanker bookings plummet as monsoon makes an early onset
Hyderabad: With the early onset of the southwest monsoon, apartments and gated communities in the western corridor are experiencing respite from the severe water crisis that plagued them since summer, as bookings in their region went down by up to 50%. At the peak of the crisis, these residential complexes relied heavily on water tankers, with around 60% of total water bookings being made solely for their corridor. As the rains lashed the city last week, dependence on water tankers decreased across various divisions in the western corridor, including Durgam Cheruvu (Raidurg), Manikonda, Kukatpally, Nizampet, and Hafeezpet. For instance, the Durgam Cheruvu division, among 22 divisions in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), used to consume close to 2,000 tankers a day during the peak summer, accounting for 20% of the total consumption of tankers across the city. This number has now come down by half to 1,000. "A week ago, residents were ordering 1,800 tankers across our division, encompassing Ayyappa Society, Kondapur, Madhapur, and Gachibowli. Currently, the demand has reduced to 1,000 following rainfall and groundwater recharge. During any season, tanker bookings typically remain at 800, as certain areas lack borewell water access and depend on tankers every alternative day when water supply is limited," said a senior official in Durgam Cheruvu division, HMWSSB. Residents say that during the peak summer, gated communities were booking two to four water tankers per day, and now their dependence is reduced to one tanker every two or three days. "The water consumption pattern in our neighbourhood has significantly changed. Currently, apartments are ordering one tanker every two to three days, compared to the previous usage of one to two tankers daily. Notably, residents of Laxmi Priya Colony, who were once heavily dependent on water tankers, have no longer had to place orders due to enhanced water supply from HMWSSB and improved groundwater levels," said J Karthik, a resident of Manikonda. Usually, during the last week of May, the demand for tankers across the city would be 9,000 to 10,000, but due to early onset of the monsoon, it has gone down to around 7,000 daily, showing a significant 30% decrease. "Thanks to the early onset of the monsoon, our residents have got some respite from the water scarcity as dependence has dropped by at least 50%. During peak summer, residents within our gated premises required weekly deliveries of four to five water tankers, each carrying 10KL. This week, however, the requirement has diminished to just one tanker," said Ravi Shankar, president of the Federation of Gated Communities, Cyberabad. BOX: HMWSSB has alerted the public about fraudulent WhatsApp messages in circulation. These messages, sent from the mobile number 84271 56645, are falsely notifying residents about water supply disconnection, citing unpaid bills from the previous month. The board has cautioned citizens to disregard these unauthorised communications.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Rs 227 crore water, sewage infrastructure to be built for Neopolis in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: As Neopolis in Kokapet gears up to become a benchmark for focused urban development and sustainable growth, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) will implement several key projects to strengthen water and sewage infrastructure. Aimed at supporting the futuristic vertical city, the Board will undertake works worth Rs 227.22 crore, with funding to be provided by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), as per the administrative sanction. The planned infrastructure includes a 45 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), two 2.5 ML elevated level service reservoirs (ELSRs), a 9 ML ground level storage reservoir (GLSR), a pumphouse, a 132/6.6 KV electrical substation, a chlorination room, an office building, and staff quarters. The STP will be operated and maintained for 15 years. The project also involves the laying of 1800 mm and 1500 mm diameter MS pipelines for gravity and pumping mains, respectively. The Board has invited bids for executing the project, requiring the selected agency to conduct detailed surveys and submit designs for approval prior to construction. Officials said the initiative aligns with the state's vision of transforming Kokapet into a model for modern, sustainable urban living.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Hans India
HMWSSB warns citizens against fake WhatsApp messages
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) issued a public warning on a fake WhatsApp messages being circulated from an unidentified number, falsely claiming imminent disconnection of water supply services. According to the HMWSSB, the messages are originating from mobile number-84271 56645 falsely state that water connections will be disconnected at 9:30 pm due to non-payment of the previous month's bill. These messages urge recipients to contact 9064953421 for assistance. Citizens are reportedly sent an APK file via WhatsApp, purportedly for 'further processing' a move suspected to be a potential malware scam. The Water Board clarified that no such messages have been sent by HMWSSB and labelled the communications as unauthorised and misleading. The matter has been reported to the Cyber Crimes Department, which has been requested to initiate an investigation. HMWSSB emphasised that all official communications are issued only through authorised and verified channels. Citizens are advised not to respond to such messages, contact the mentioned numbers, or download any files received through unsolicited sources. For any service-related queries, residents of Greater Hyderabad are urged to contact the official HMWSSB helpline at 155313.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
HMWSSB warns users against responding to unauthorised messages
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) on Friday advised all its users not to click or respond to unauthorised messages about water connections, pending payments and alerts. The Board said it found users receiving messages from unidentified mobile numbers claiming to be official sender and advising them to pay dues by 9.30 p.m., failing which their water connections will be cut. Such messages further direct recipients to contact another number for assistance. Upon contacting, the users are sent an APK file via WhatsApp. 'These are unauthorized and misleading messages. No such messages are being sent by HMWS&SB. All official communication from HMWS&SB are issued through authorised channels only. For any clarification or service-related queries, citizens are requested to contact the official HMWSSB helpline 155313,' it clarified.
