The Hindu : `Shock' treatment spurs HMWSSB into action

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 21, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

`Shock' treatment spurs HMWSSB into action

By K.V.S. Madhav

HYDERABAD Nov. 20. For the lumbering giant that is the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the shock treatment meted out by the power authorities seems to have made it even more wary about electricity. The Water Board, which was made to shell out a major portion of its long- pending power arrears appears to have felt the pinch and is out to cut its power consumption drastically. The power bills consume a whopping 45 per cent of the Board's earnings every month. Besieged by shortage of drinking water, dried to the bone reservoirs, a huge salary bill not to forget a fund crunch, the HMWSSB is on a power-cutting spree. Orders have been issued to all the circles to minimise power consumption.

"There are no two ways about it. We have to reduce power consumption to ensure that the hard earned monies are used for other core areas.

Though we have initiated certain measures, the results are yet to be felt," the HMWSSB Managing Director, M.G. Gopal, said. The Water Board pays more than Rs. 4 crores as electricity charges per month besides an additional Rs. 75 lakhs as part payment for clearing its earlier dues, put at a whopping Rs. 26 crores as on date.

The Board's plea for supply of power at subsidised rates was met with a firm `no' from the Central Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited. It had to buy electricity bonds, which facilitated the purchase of 20 per cent of its power requirement at manufacturing cost.

"Against this backdrop, it is imperative that a power minimisation exercise is carried out in a big way," he pointed out.

Armed with a study done by a private consultancy on the lifespan of existing motors and a cost benefit analysis based on the defects in them, the Board went in for a major replacement exercise of motors at its important pumping stations at Pocharam, Pragnapur and Rajampet, that bring water to the twin cities.

An exclusive energy audit and management cell was created to monitor the situation on a daily basis besides upgradation of existing electrical engineers in the Board to oversee the power consumption pattern. "But, we could not do the same in our distribution network where power consumption is equally high," Mr. Gopal said.

Lack of a sizeable number of full-fledged electrical engineers to man the vast distribution network that runs along the 793 sq. k.m. water supply service area of the Board covering the twin cities, 10 municipalities, Secunderabad Cantonment and en route villages along the National Highway No. 9 up to Sangareddy in neighbouring Medak district, has turned out to be a minus point.

This prompted the Board to recommend to the Government to have exclusive posts for manning the electrical installations and power consumption levels. "This is a crucial area more so with the Krishna water project finally taking off. Once the first phase of the project is completed, the Board's power consumption is bound to increase substantially," he maintained.

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