Hyderabad’s treated sewage water supply will be expanded through a new Dial-a-Green Tanker service from November 1, as the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board seeks to reduce the use of drinking water for construction, industries and landscaping.
HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy said the board was planning the service amid concerns over reduced rainfall, declining groundwater availability and pressure on water reserves in the Singur and Manjira reservoirs. The board aims to increase daily use of treated water to 500 million litres per day for non-potable purposes.
The proposed service will cover construction sites, industrial users, parks, green belts and other activities that do not require potable water. HMWSSB has described the initiative as a measure to protect drinking water supplies, particularly during the eight-month period before the next monsoon.
The announcement comes as Hyderabad’s construction sector and other high-consumption users are being asked to shift away from treated drinking water wherever recycled water can meet operational needs. HMWSSB convened a meeting with representatives of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India, Telangana Builders’ Forum, National Real Estate Development Council and other construction-sector stakeholders to discuss conservation measures.
A digital Green Water Tanker platform is being developed to organise the system. It will allow treated-water suppliers, tanker operators, construction firms, industries and other users to register on a common platform. According to HMWSSB, the platform will match demand with treated water available at nearby sewage treatment plants while considering delivery distances and tanker availability.
The platform is also expected to support online bookings and tanker tracking. This would give users a formal mechanism to request treated water and enable the board to coordinate supply from sewage treatment plants with the location and timing of demand.
HMWSSB’s target of 500 MLD places sewage treatment at the centre of Hyderabad’s short-term water conservation strategy. The proposed service links the city’s wastewater infrastructure with sectors that currently need large volumes of water for construction, industrial operations and maintaining landscaped areas.
The board has not provided further details in the announcement on the number of tankers to be enrolled, pricing, the treatment standards applicable to different uses, or the sewage treatment plants that will initially supply the service. Those operational details will determine how quickly users can adopt the platform once it is launched.
The Dial-a-Green Tanker service is scheduled to begin on November 1, with HMWSSB continuing engagement with construction and other non-potable water users ahead of the next monsoon.
