HYDERABAD: Even before the onset of summer, the demand for water tankers in Hyderabad has surged exponentially with daily bookings crossing the 6,000 mark. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) records show that the city booked over 2.5 lakh tankers since Jan 1 this year — a staggering 60% jump over the same period last year.
The maximum demand has been raised by areas such as Ameerpet and SR Nagar, extending up to the Gachibowli-Nanakramguda corridor.
In 2024, the highest water tanker demand stood at 8,000 per day. Officials expect this number to touch 10,000 (or more) by April or May this year.
Currently, each of the 950 tankers available with the water board is registered for six to seven deliveries every day. And apart from Krishna and Godavari, water is being sourced from on Himayatsagar, Osmansagar, Singur, and Manjeera reservoirs to cater to the drinking water needs of the city.
More trips, filling stations
Given the growing demand, officials have planned to roll out multiple measures to enhance the tanker service. While, typically, a water tanker takes about 8 to 10 minutes to enter the filling station, load water, and leave for this destination, the water board is aiming to bring this time down to 5 minutes to enable tankers to double their number of daily trips. They also plan to set up extra filling points at stations experiencing higher tanker bookings. Further, a time-based distribution system is set to be implemented, wherein residential areas receive water tankers during the day and commercial establishments such as hostels and hotels be served at night. This, officials say, will reduce the burden of the backlog.
"We will also deploy more water tankers based on the demand," said a senior official in HMWSSB, adding, "To monitor the situation and ensure prompt tanker deliveries, 21 dedicated officers have been deployed across severely impacted regions of western Hyderabad, covering areas such as Kukatpally, Ramachandrapuram, Kondapur, and Khajaguda."
Maintenance charges to go up by Rs 2,000
Meanwhile, as the water scarcity in the city deepens — particularly along the IT corridor — residential communities are mulling a rise of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 on monthly maintenance charges, to buy water. At present, most gated communities in and around Gachibowli, Kondapur, Nanakramguda, Madhapur, Manikonda, Khajaguda, and Narsingi are booking two to four tankers every week. They anticipate this to escalate to seven tankers per week by the beginning of March, necessitating residents to procure 10 KL daily for the high rises. The cost of 5 KL tankers is about Rs 500. In case of a private tanker it can go up to Rs 3,000-4,000 during peak days.
"The govt must intervene urgently to regulate the private tanker prices as we often end up depending on them during peak summer when HMWSSB experiences acute tanker shortages. If not, our expenses along with regular maintenance charges will go up from Rs 2,000 - Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 between March and May," said Sai Ravi Shankar, president of the Federation of Gated Communities, Cyberabad.
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