Hyderabad’s drinking-water preparedness is being tightened ahead of the anticipated impact of El Niño, with Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju directing officials to prepare a comprehensive mitigation plan for the city’s core urban region.
Jaju chaired a review meeting at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Tuesday, following directions from the Chief Minister. The meeting examined water-supply preparedness in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the Core Municipal Corporation area and the Metropolitan Municipal Corporation area, referred to in the review as GHMC, CMC and MMC (Core Area).
The review brought together Special Chief Secretary Dana Kishore, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board Managing Director K Ashok Reddy, commissioners of GHMC, MMC and Serilingampally Municipal Corporation, and officials from the Irrigation and Mission Bhageeratha departments.
The Chief Secretary instructed officials to formulate a mitigation plan covering the measures required to maintain drinking-water availability. He also directed them to launch an intensive public campaign encouraging judicious water use across the urban region.
The conservation measures discussed include the use of treated sewage treatment plant water for non-domestic purposes and plantation activities. The instruction is intended to reserve treated drinking water for domestic requirements while identifying suitable non-domestic uses for recycled water, according to the details of the review meeting.
Jaju also emphasised the need for robust contingency planning to ensure an adequate and uninterrupted drinking-water supply to the Core Urban Region, or CURE. The review therefore extends beyond routine supply management to preparations for possible stress on the city’s water system during the period associated with the anticipated El Niño impact.
The meeting also focused on the financial requirements for implementing the proposed measures. The Chief Secretary directed officials to ensure that adequate funds are made available for the necessary preparedness and mitigation work.
The coordination of municipal, water-supply, irrigation and Mission Bhageeratha officials reflects the multiple agencies involved in protecting urban water availability. For residents, the immediate measures outlined by the government are a conservation campaign, greater use of STP-treated water for non-domestic activities and contingency planning for uninterrupted drinking-water supply.
Officials are now expected to prepare the comprehensive mitigation plan, organise the public water-use campaign and secure the funds required to implement the measures across the identified urban areas.
