HYDERABAD: The drying up for four major drinking water supplying reservoirs has triggered a major water emergency in Hyderabad, as per Telangana's minister for municipal administration KT Rama Rao. With the deadly heatwave and the state's third consecutive drought, the crisis has been pushed to the point where several areas in Hyderabad only get water on alternate days.
Rao said that with the Singur, Manjeera, Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs dry, first time in 30 years, there was now a gap of about 47 per cent between the demand and supply for water in the city. “There just isn't enough water to go around,” he said. He added the distress sale of cattle by farmers and migration from parched villages to cities like Hyderabad are grave concerns for the government. The minister said while the demand for water remains for around 660 million gallons of water every day, the administration is only able to supply a little over 335 million gallons. Rao said water was being fetched from Godavari and Krishna, almost 200 km away.
The state government's long-term plan to address a recurring water crisis in India's youngest state, Rao said, was to clean up tanks under Mission Bhagirath, a project lauded by the Centre. The government has sanctioned £6 million for Hyderabad under municipal corporation and £7 million for the rest of Telangana to transport water to areas where scarcity is reported. Telangana is one of 11 states reeling under drought, which has in its grip a staggering 33 million people or about a fourth of India's population, the Centre has said.
