With four major reservoirs that supply drinking water to city Hyderabad had completely dry up for the first time in 30 years the city is going to face severe water crisis.
“Telangana is one of 11 states reeling under drought, there is a water emergency in Hyderabad”, says Telangana’s minister for municipal administration KT Rama Rao.
Rama Rao on Tuesday sought more central assistance for drought relief and to tide over the drinking water problem.
Amid a deadly heat wave and the state’s third successive drought, the shortage is so severe that people in many areas of Hyderabad are now getting water in their homes only on alternate days. The situation is far worse in the villages of Telangana, where drinking water has to be fetched from long distances.
Mr Rao, told NDTV that with the Singur, Manjeera, Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs dry, there is now a gap of 47 per cent between demand for water and supply in the city, which touched a maximum temperature of 43 degree Celsius last week.
“There just isn’t enough water to go around,” the minister said, adding that distress sale of cattle by farmers and migration from parched villages to cities like Hyderabad, which are also running dry, are grave concerns for the government.
Hyderabad needs 660 million gallons of water every day, but the administration is able to supply it with only 335 million gallons. Water is being fetched from the Godavari and Krishna rivers, almost 200 km away, the minister said, pinning his hopes on the promise of an early and strong monsoon.