The water board has decided not to supply water tankers to households in key localities including Somajiguda, Punjagutta, Begumpet, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Khairatabad that do not have rainwater harvesting pits. The measure is part of the board’s Jalam Jeevan programme, which encourages water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) Managing Director Dana Kishore is set to instruct the board’s water tanker helpline to check rainwater harvesting records of customers before they agree to transport water.
To protect and improve the groundwater level for sustainable yields in the bore wells, the government had made it mandatory to construct rain water harvesting or conservation structures on all premises exceeding plot area of 200 square metres.
Water tankers, which carry between 5 kilolitres and 10 kilolitres of water, costs between ₹500 and ₹1,000 for domestic customers and ₹850 to ₹1,700 for non-domestic customers. In the previous year, demand for water tankers in Jubliee Hills, Banjara Hills and Somajiguda was the highest in the city. “The board supplies water in pipe-lines to these localities. If residents are using more water, they should also be willing to conserve water. Tanker supply is a stop-gap solution and people should be looking towards sustainable solutions,” Mr. Kishore told The Hindu.
Rainwater harvesting is one of the effective ways to improve groundwater level, studies point out.
The new system is expected to bring villas and gated communities under scrutiny.
Residents reluctant
Water board covers 25% of the costs incurred by non-residential buildings to set up rainwater pits. Several schools and businesses had dug pits of six to 12 cubic metres. However, residential buildings, which are expected to bear the cost, have been reluctant to set up percolation pits for lack of space. Costs involved in accurate construction of harvesting facilities have also discouraged residents.
Rainwater harvesting facilities need constant maintenance and residents shy away from them. As per recommendations, harvesting structures should be identifiable by display boards and should be properly fenced to avoid accumulation of waste.
Top layers of the pits should be periodically cleaned and replaced to prevent silt accumulation. In most facilities, observation wells are also expected to be set up to monitor water levels and quality in influence zone.
GHMC has already started a survey within its limits to account for localities where rainwater harvesting has not taken off. By March end, this report is expected to be complete, Mr. Kishore said.
