Entire Telangana Including Hyderabad Facing Severe Water Shortage in Summer?
As the summer season approaches, Hyderabad and several districts of the state are facing an unusual water crisis. The state government has not yet announced any emergency plans to deal with the possible crisis.
Hyderabad: As the summer season approaches, Hyderabad and several districts of the state are facing an unusual water crisis. The state government has not yet announced any emergency plans to deal with the possible crisis.
It has been reported that only 11 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water remains in the Sri Pada Elam project. Due to apparent leakage in the Kalisicheram Lift Irrigation Scheme and Sandillabairigas reservoirs, water is being wasted, exacerbating the situation.
According to the proposed summer action plan of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for 2024, Greater Hyderabad will require approximately 50 MGD (million gallons per day) of water in addition to the current usage of 550 MGD per day.
Most of the major water reserves in the Krishna and Godavari rivers are already experiencing a decrease in water levels, with only 319.22 TMC of water remaining compared to the total capacity of 517.81 TMC. Moreover, the summer season has not even begun yet.
The state government had previously announced holidays for several projects citing water scarcity.
Amid these circumstances, the water level in the Sri Pada Elam project had dropped to nearly 11 TMC last Sunday, whereas its total capacity is 18.98 TMC. If the dead storage level of the project, which is 3.3 TMC, is left aside, only 7 TMC of water is available for usage.
Including Hyderabad, several districts of Telangana rely on the Mission Bhagiratha project for water supply. However, there is a rapid decrease in water level, and it has been reported that the weekly supply is decreasing at a rate of almost 1 TMC per week, posing significant challenges to fulfilling the demand under the Mission Bhagiratha.
In response to the escalating crisis, water authorities have proposed transferring water from the Kadem project to the Sri Pada Elam project to maintain an adequate water level and prevent disruption to the water supply system under the Mission Bhagiratha.
Currently, there is 3.57 TMC of water available in the Kadem project, with a total capacity of 7 TMC. This project is also facing its own challenges. The announcement of holidays for the crop season this year means only 1 TMC of water is available for release here, as the project’s dead storage level is 2.5 TMC.
Furthermore, the state government recently directed authorities to release water downstream from the Sandillabairigas reservoir after being informed of apparent leakage. Although water could have been lifted from the Sandillabairigas reservoir to fill the Sri Pada Elam project, authorities issued instructions to release water downstream, further worsening the situation.
