Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Sprawling Kukatpally thirsts for drops of water

By T. Lalith Singh

HYDERABAD March 27. It's agonising wait for a pail of water in the Kukatpally Municipality areas. Adding to the woes of residents there, groundwater levels, too, have plummeted making them struggle for every drop of water.

Against a daily requirement of over 50 lakh gallons, municipal officials say only 33 lakh gallons is being supplied. "Till recently we were supplying about 43 lakh gallons everyday, but it has been curtailed by 26 per cent,'' officials say.

The scarce situation has resulted in households in the municipality -- spread over an area of 43.69 km -- making a beeline for supplies of private tankers and shelling out anywhere between Rs. 80 and Rs. 300 per tank.

The scene is no different in Muskipet, Moosapet, Vivekanandanagar or the sprawling Kukatpally Housing Board colony.

Residents of KPHB VII phase allege that the authorities have neglected their area. Though alternate day water supply was promised, water is supplied hardly once a week. "Some times once in four days and at times once in seven days,'' a resident laments. Muddy water comes from a borewell that was sunk here. "For last three days, we are getting coloured water which stinks,'' a resident, Raghavachari, bemoans.

Hardly a km away from the bustling highway is Anjaneyanagar colony. No pipelines have been laid here to supply Manjira water. "We are forced to drink borewell water only," a resident of the colony rues. "We are getting water through tankers once in five days. How can we manage with this meagre supply,'' Naga Srivalli, a local, says. The Municipal Commissioner, L. Vandan Kumar, said 100 borewells were being sunk and 18 tankers pressed into service at a budget of Rs. 50 lakhs. "Areas such as Bharatnagar, Janmabhoomi colony and Yellamabanda are the worst hit," he says.

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