Also seen are GHMC commissioner RV Karnan and HYDRAA chief AV Ranganath Pic: Suman Reddy D HMWSSB managing director K Ashok Reddy at the workshop on El Nino contingency measures on Thursday.
He said the city could face a shortfall of around 100 million gallons per day (MGD), as Manjira-Singur reservoirs approach depletion and groundwater recharge remains poor. The board is working to secure an additional 40 MGD through a pending scheme and another 50-60 MGD from alternative sources, but a deficit of 40-50 MGD could still remain. To facilitate this, the water board has installed filling stations at 30 STPs and introduced a digital Green Tanker platform through which industries and builders can procure treated wastewater.
HMWSSB managing director K Ashok Reddy said, “The first priority for groundwater should be for domestic consumption across the city. Cyberabad commissioner G Srijana said the corporation would continue using treated water for landscaping, construction and cleaning even after the current crisis. “It is not a regulatory approach; it is a participatory approach,” she said. He said the agency had acted against such operations following complaints and would continue its enforcement efforts.
Commercial establishments must look at alternative sources. It also plans to build rainwater-harvesting structures in every ward, with the civic body and residents sharing responsibility for their installation. Meanwhile, HYDRAA commissioner AV Ranganath warned that illegal commercial borewells and large-scale groundwater extraction were adding to the pressure on local sources.
The commissioners of GHMC , Cyberabad Municipal Corporation and Medchal-Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation, along with the HMWSSB managing director and HYDRAA commissioner, discussed the measures at a workshop on El Nino contingency organised by NAREDCO Telangana in collaboration with CREDAI Hyderabad on Thursday.