Hyderabad:Water tanker supplies across Hyderabad are set to resume immediately after operators called off their strike on Wednesday and agreed to draw groundwater only from outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR), subject to permissions from the departments concerned.
The decision followed a meeting between representatives of the Hyderabad Water Tankers Association, led by its president Chandrashekar, and HYDRAA chief A.V. Ranganath, held at the request of Hyderabad district in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar.
HYDRAA said all tanker operators had agreed to shift their water-drawing operations outside the ORR limits to reduce pressure on groundwater resources in densely populated residential areas.
The decision comes following complaints from residents of several localities over commercial extraction of groundwater and drying up of domestic borewells.
Residents alleged that private tanker operators were extracting large quantities of groundwater from residential colonies to supply commercial establishments, including paying guest (PG) hostels.
HYDRAA officials said tanker operators preferred borewells near high-demand areas such as Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, Ameerpet and Ashok Nagar to reduce transportation distances and fuel costs. This had increased pressure on groundwater resources in these localities.
While domestic borewells are generally drilled to depths of 100 to 300 feet, commercial operators were reportedly drilling borewells to depths of 1,000 to 1,500 feet or more and using high-powered motors to extract water.
The issue had led to protests in Tellapur, where residents demanded an immediate halt to commercial groundwater extraction. Residents of Suraram and Jeedimetla had also approached HYDRAA, alleging that commercial extraction was affecting household borewells.
Following the complaints, HYDRAA had intervened at several locations in coordination with the revenue, police, municipal and groundwater departments. The agency said it would continue coordinating with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and other departments to prevent large-scale commercial groundwater extraction in densely populated areas.
At the same time, HYDRAA said it would facilitate uninterrupted tanker supplies to commercial establishments, particularly PG hostels in Hyderabad’s IT and commercial hubs, while ensuring that operators complied with the decision to draw water from outside the ORR.
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