Complaints mount as HMWSSB technical snag disrupts tanker supplies

A technical glitch at HMWSSB disrupted water tanker deliveries and billing services across Hyderabad, forcing a shift to manual operations. Only 1,200 tanker trips were completed by Friday evening, leading to long queues and water shortages in several areas

Hyderabad: A technical glitch in the database centre hit the consumer operations of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) crippling the water tanker deliveries, billing and other services, on Friday.

Forced into the manual mode, the water board officials went into an emergency huddle to streamline the services even as the queues of water tankers for a refill at 72 filling stations lengthened in the city.

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The technical glitch which was identified on Thursday night remained unresolved in the database centre till Friday evening with the water board seeking assistance from experts of the Telangana Information Technology & Electronics and Communications (IT&EC) to rectify the issues.

Hundreds of water tankers piled up at filling stations with the delivery process to consumers being managed manually. HMWSSB officials sought to address the tanker supplies to consumers who were contacting the metro customer care (MCC) at 155313 and reaching out to officials and linemen.

Under normal operations, the water board delivers between 2,500 and 3,000 tanker trips daily to domestic and non-domestic consumers. However, with operations disrupted, only 1,200 tanker trips were completed by 5 pm, HMWSSB sources told ‘Telangana Today’.

The technical issue significantly impacted consumer services, leading to complaints about lack of water supply, water pollution, leakages in the water and sewerage systems, manhole overflows, disputes over water bills, new water connections, and other services.

All complaints received through the MCC were being forwarded to the General Managers concerned via HMWSSB’s internal WhatsApp groups and being resolved. On an average, the MCC receives between 1,500 and 2,000 grievances daily related to water, sewerage, and billing issues.

HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy on Friday convened an emergency meeting with senior officials, directing them to ensure tanker deliveries and customer services were managed manually. All General Managers of the Operations and Maintenance divisions were deputed to filling stations to oversee the tanker delivery services.

Meanwhile, several areas in the city were reportedly experiencing water shortages due to the interruption in tanker services.