Kaleshwaram project secures Hyderabad’s water supply for the future.

Unlike cities like Chennai which are currently facing a drinking water shortage, Hyderabad is unlikely to face any such issue in the foreseeable future even if there is low rainfall, all thanks to the Telangana government’s massive ₹80,190 crore Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project which was launched in June.

Currently the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) supplies 462 million gallons per day (MGD) to the capital city from the Krishna (phase 1, 2 and 3) and Godavari (phase-1) projects, and the Osmansagar, and Himayathsagar reservoirs. The two reservoirs put together however supply just 40 MGD of water. They were built close to a century ago to supply water to the city when the demand was much lesser.

And through the Kaleshwaram project, the state government has set aside 30 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water, out of the total 225 TMC which will be drawn in total through it(mainly for irrigation purposes), for Hyderabad alone (10 TMC roughly equals 170 MGD). “As of now, only 10 TMC is available from the Kaleshwaram project, but our projection is that by 2040 we will be able to have 30 TMC," said a senior official from the Telangana irrigation department who did not want to be quoted.

Another official from the HMWSSB also stated that the city’s water supply has in fact gone up from the earlier 356 MGD that was being supplied some years ago. He informed that out of the total 462 TMC being supplied to Hyderabad now, 172 is from the Godavari (phase-1) project alone, which is supplemented through the Kaleshwaram project. “The Godavari and Krishna sources are very reliable so in the future there won’t be any issues," stated the official, requesting anonymity.

Designed to bring drinking water and irrigation to the parched areas of Telangana, a total of about 225 TMC of water will be drawn through the Kaleshwaram project from the Godavari river basin once it is fully operational. The project, which will involve building reservoirs at various places, is expected to irrigate 18.24 lakh acres of land in the state with 165 TMC of water, provide 56 TMC of drinking water and supply another 10 TMC for industrial purposes.

Water shortages in summer used to be a perennial problem earlier in Hyderabad as well, but the commissioning of the Krishna and Godavari drinking water projects have helped in addressing the problem to a certain extent, as the actual demand for drinking water is a little higher than what is being supplied. “The Kaleshwaram project has secured the city’s need for the coming few decades at least," stated the irrigation department official.

Earlier this month, HMWSSB managing director Dana Kishore at a press conference said that the service area of the body has been expanded from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits to rural areas surrounding the capital city. “We have taken up a drinking water supply network project for 190 villages situated within Outer Ring Road (around Hyderabad). The project envisages construction of 164 Reservoirs out of which 139 were completed and the balance reservoirs are nearing completion," he had said.

However, drawing waters from far away through lift irrigation and pumps also puts a financial burden on the HMWSSB, which has to pay nearly Rs.65-70 crore a month in electricity bills. “In total we have an expenditure of about Rs.110 to Rs.120 crore a month and the revenue is about Rs.105 crore, so there is a shortfall," said the HMWSSB official.

M. Padmanabh Reddy, secretary of the Hyderabad-based Forum For Good Governance and a former state forest officer, said that while securing the city’s water supply is a good development it will come at a huge financial cost which the state has to bear. “It is an expensive project, so the bills will also be huge," added Reddy.

LIVEMINT