Latest news with #HMWSSB
Hans India
2 days ago
- General
- Hans India
GHMC chief orders swift action on Durgam Cheruvu drainage issue
Hyderabad: GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan has instructed officials to promptly address the drainage issue at Durgam Cheruvu. On Thursday, the Commissioner inspected the situation alongside the Zonal Commissioner and other relevant officials. During the inspection, the GHMC Commissioner directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to regularly desilt the sewer lines and take full ownership of their maintenance. This, he stressed, is crucial to prevent sewage overflows onto walking tracks and to eliminate the entry of sewage into the lake, thereby ensuring a clean and hassle free environment for visitors. He further directed the Executive Engineer of the Lakes division to expedite the diversion of the sewage pipeline. The Raheja CSR team was advised to enhance park amenities to improve the overall aesthetics of the lake area. During the visit, the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was also reviewed, with a recommendation to conduct NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) water testing in addition to existing third party checks. The inspection also included a review of the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) stormwater drain (SWD) works. Officials were instructed to complete this work by September. The Zonal Commissioner was requested to review the progress weekly and ensure that any issues are addressed promptly.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Water bills in Hyderabad set to shoot up as water board mulls tariff overhaul
Hyderabad: If you've been taking the monsoon rains as a cue to waste water, it's time to rethink. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is planning a significant hike in water tariffs after almost 14 years, including the imposition of a 35% sewerage cess, which could dent household budgets. The last revision for domestic users was in 2011, while commercial tariffs were last increased in 2013. Currently, HMWSSB serves nearly 14 lakh consumers across Greater Hyderabad, of which about 6 lakh households receive free water under government schemes. The move comes on the heels of similar tariff hikes by water boards in Chennai and Bengaluru. To guide its decision, HMWSSB has roped in the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) to conduct a comprehensive review of tariff structures and assess revenue deficits. Based on ASCI's recommendations, a new tariff framework will be proposed. The revised rates will factor in consumption patterns, operational costs, infrastructure upkeep, and debt servicing. Under Section 22 of the HMWSS Act, 1989, the board is empowered to levy tariffs sufficient to meet these obligations. Water board officials say the tariff revision is crucial, citing a 50% gap between revenue and expenditure. The tariff enhancement is essential as it will help the board improve its service quality, maintain infrastructure, and reduce dependency on govt subsidies, they said. 'It will take ASCI about a month to complete its assessment. Once we have their findings, we shall consult our board of directors before submitting the report to the state govt for finalising the revised rates. Over the past 15 years, while electricity charges have seen three hikes and PRC has undergone three revisions for staff members, the water tariffs have remained unchanged. We aim to ensure the revised charges remain reasonable while helping achieve financial sustainability,' said a senior official in HMWSSB. According to the water board, operations and maintenance of its assets have become a burden as there is a monthly net revenue deficit of Rs 130 crore, apart from an accumulated revenue deficit. It has become difficult to effectively maintain the system with low tariff rates, with an increasing incidence of consumer-related concerns requiring major investments and improvements. Restructuring of the existing tariff structure would be approved so that the existing common rates of different categories will be replaced by a differential category-wise tariff structure for each category, i.e., domestic, commercial, and industrial, with differential structures for bulk connections and multi-storied buildings.
Hans India
4 days ago
- General
- Hans India
Water Board MD inspects sewage works at Amberpet
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) MD, Ashok Reddy, along with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation commissioner, RV Karnan and Musi River Front Development Corporation Limited MD, Narasimha Reddy on Monday inspected the ongoing construction of the 212.5 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Amberpet. The inspection was part of the STP Construction Project Package-1. Ashok Reddy said that the works related to the construction of a 212.6 MLD capacity STP are almost completed and will be commissioned in the next few days. On his visit, accompanied by Hyderabad water board ED Mayank Mittal and officials from various departments, Ashok Reddy reviewed the progress at the site and urged authorities to fast-track the final stage works. He directed that the STP be readied for operation in coming days. The MD emphasised that civil works, internal roads, CC roads, landscaping, and painting should be taken up on a war footing to ensure the plant is fully prepared for inauguration. He stressed the importance of safety at construction sites, insisting that all workers adhere to safety protocols and use the required protective equipment. During the visit, officials also examined different phases of the construction to assess overall progress.
New Indian Express
06-06-2025
- 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
31-05-2025
- 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.
