Hyderabad is also experiencing a worsening water crisis as its primary drinking water reservoirs are critically low. As the summer heat persists and consumption of water rises, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is now pinning hopes thinking can early monsoon save Hyderabad’s water sources.
Water Levels Falling in Major Reservoirs
Hyderabad has two primary reservoirs which are Himayatsagar and Osmansagar. There have been a significant drop in water levels. The officials reported that both Himayatsagar and Osmansagar Reservoirs have fallen well below normal for this time of year. Water levels in Himayatsagar have reportedly dipped by nearly 10 feet, while Osmansagar has seen an 8-foot reduction.
Simultaneously, Nagarjunasagar reservoir, yet another critical source of water for the city, has also seen a drastic fall. The present water level is barely above the Minimum Drawdown Level (MDDL), and HMWSSB has commenced emergency pumping to maintain supply to Hyderabad’s homes.
As the monsoon hit early this year in may, HMWSSB hopes for that this early monsoon will save the city from drying. Hyderabad is seeing moderate to heavy rains from the past few days. IMD predicts the rains will continue futher few days.
Hyderabad’s and surrounding groundwater conditions have also become a serious issue. In the little more than average rain in April, around 75 mm, groundwater levels have not revived. Water is now being discovered on average 20 meters beneath the surface, a far cry from the healthier 5-meter depth in earlier years.
Experts say it is because of erratic rainfalls, high urbanization, forest destruction, and excessive extraction of groundwater by way of borewells. All these have, in turn, taken a huge toll on natural recharge levels in the city.
Response and Long-Term Planning
To manage the crisis, HMWSSB has initiated various short-term measures, such as emergency pumping of water, increasing tanker supply operations, and establishing more filling stations. Authorities concede these are not permanent solutions.
There are long-term initiatives in the pipeline, like the construction of the Godavari Phase II and III schemes, to augment the water supply of the city by extracting greater volumes of water from dependable river sources.
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