Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao said the TRS government is thinking way ahead towards meeting the drinking water requirements for the city.
The requirement is set to jump from 37 tmcft of water presently to 71 tmcft in the coming 50 years., to meet which the government is taking up various projects, Mr. Rao said
Addressing a meeting after laying foundation for an intake well in the Krishna at Sunkishala village near Nagarjunasagar to augment drinking water supply to Hyderabad, the Minister shared on Saturday government’s vision with regard to the drinking water needs of the city and network.
At a time when all other cities in the country are plagued by various negative factors, including saturation in terms of expansion, water problems, pollution, and traffic, Hyderabad is registering the fastest growth thanks to its geographical location and other advantages, Mr. Rao observed.
Crediting Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s vision for the growth, he said works worth ₹6,000 crore are in progress under the aegis of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB).
The drinking water needs are set to rise to 47.76 tmcft by 2035, 58.98 tmcft by 2050, 67.71 tmcft by 2065 and to 70.97 tmcft by 2072.
For dependable water supply for domestic and industrial requirements, Sunkishala project is being taken up at an estimated cost of ₹1,450 crore. It will ensure an additional availability of 16.5 tmcft for the drinking water needs of city, as well as for the industries burgeoning around the city in various districts.
Further, it will preclude the emergency pumping requirement, on which ₹5-6 crore have to be spent every summer.
Intake tunnels, underground shaft, pump houses, superstructures, electro mechanical equipment, a power substation, and transmission lines are part of the project at Sunkishala.
Civil works too are being completed for the Phase-4 and Phase-5 of the Krishna Drinking Water Project, so that water can be availed in future by mere fixing of pumps and pipelines.
On the other hand, the drinking water network is being developed on Godavari river too by way of Kondapochammasagar and Mallannasagar reservoirs, providing for development up to 150 kilometres around Hyderabad. Already works are underway for a pipeline from Kondapochammasagar to Ghanpur near Shamirpet.
“We are taking measures so as to withstand drought for five consecutive years,” Mr Rao averred.
Another proposal is for construction of ring main along the length of the Outer Ring Road so that the drinking water supply is not disrupted even upon a major snag in either Krishna or Godavari systems.
Ministers Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Ch. Malla Reddy, G. Jagadish Reddy and V. Srinivas Goud attended the event along with the Managing Director of the HMWS&SB M. Dana Kishore.
