Water Crisis Will End: Geetha Reddy

Heavy Industries and Hyderabad District in-charge minister J Geetha Reddy on Wednesday assured that adequate measures would be taken to resolve the drinking water crisis in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Addressing the Hyderabad District Development Review Committee at Jubilee Hall, the minister directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply And Sewerage Board to supply water to all areas through tankers.

She also set aside the water board's orders which prohibited water supply to defaulters. She announced that 10 power borewells each would be set up in all the Assembly constituencies.

Geetha Reddy also said that HUDCO sanctioned a loan of Rs. 1,675 crore for the Krishna Phase-III project, and that the works would begin by June/July 2014. Water board MD Shyamal Rao said that water is currently being supplied in the twin cities through 160 tankers, which make 677 daily trips.

Earlier, MIM legislators, led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, created an uproar over the inadequate supply of drinking water, especially in the Old City. The MIM leaders alleged that the water board was not supplying water in slum areas, and that it was diverting the supply to star hotels, multi-nationals and liquor companies.

BJP MLA G Kishan Reddy complained that several borewells were not in working condition, while "the entire city has been reduced to a concrete jungle with absolutely no focus on water harvesting".

He demanded that the state government complete the works on bringing Krishna water to Hyderabad before starting the Godavari plan.

Congress MLC M S Prabhakar advised that generators be used to pump or lift water in reservoirs instead of disrupting the supply due to the power crisis.

MIM MLC Ameen-ul-Hassan Jafri accused the government of misleading people over the Yellampalli barrage, and said that it was constructed for irrigation and not for drinking water.

Bahadurpura MLA Mohammad Maozam Khan demanded that steps be taken to check polluted water in city.

MLAs Jaya Sudha and Christian Lazarus, MLCs K Nageshwara Rao, Altaf Hyderabad Razvi and others took part in the discussion. (INN)