HMWSSB activates emergency pumping at Singur reservoir to sustain Hyderabad water supply

With heatwave conditions persisting across Telangana, parents and lecturers have urged the State government to postpone the reopening of junior colleges by a week. However, the Intermediate Education Department has completed preparations for the commencement of the new academic session on Monday.

Hyderabad: To ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to the city, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has completed arrangements for emergency pumping operations at the Singur reservoir, from Monday.

With water levels receding due to peak summer demand, the installation of an emergency pumping system has become necessary to maintain supply.

---

The Water Board officials have installed 17 emergency pumps at the reservoir’s shore, of which 14 will be operated while the remaining three will be on standby.

While emergency infrastructure was previously deployed in 2016, it was not utilised due to timely monsoon rains; therefore, this marks the first time the Water Board is actively operating the system at the Singur dam after a gap of 10 years.

A senior official confirmed that trial runs began Sunday, with full-scale operations scheduled for Monday.

“Initially, three emergency pumps will be operated on a trial run on Sunday. Based on the results, all 13 pumping stations will operate officially from Monday,” senior Water Board officials said.

At present, Singur’s storage stands at 5.477 TMC, projected to dip to approximately 5.340 TMC by Monday, June 1. The Water Board currently is drawing 70 million gallons of water every day (MGD) to meet the needs of 2 lakh consumers in areas including Banjara Hills, Madhapur, Kukatpally and Patancheru alongside villages under Mission Bhagiratha.

While HMWSSB officials aim to maintain seamless distribution, they have cautioned that major consumers like the Ordnance Factory (Medak), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), local breweries, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kandikal may face temporary supply shortages. Consumers have been advised to use water conservatively.

The HMWSSB officials said we will ensure there is no disruption in the water supply during the emergency pumping operation at Singur, but we alerted defence establishments and consumers and cautioned them to use water conservatively.

Water levels of all other drinking sources: (Drinking water source name followed by FTL and Present water levels and Source, Water Board)

Osman Sagar (1790 ft); (1784 ft)

Himayat Sagar (1763 ft) and (1760 ft)

Singur (1717 ft) and (1693 ft)

Manjeera (1651 ft) and (1644 ft)

Akkampally (Krishna) 245 meters and 244 meters

Godavari (485 meters) and 468 meters

(Source: HMWSSB portal)