Hyderabad: Pressure mounts on HMWSSB to extend free water scheme to new Civic Bodies

Residents of newly formed Malkajgiri and Cyberabad Municipal Corporations are urging HMWSSB to extend the 20-kilolitre free water supply scheme to their areas. The Water Board has forwarded requests to the government, citing financial implications and awaiting a final decision.

Hyderabad: Residents in the newly formed Malkajgiri and Cyberabad Municipal Corporations are turning up the heat on the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to extend the popular 20-kilolitre free water supply scheme to their areas.

The demand from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) for the unique free water supply scheme has left the Water Board in a bind, as officials find themselves in an uncertain situation over taking a firm decision on the issue.

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Water Board officials have maintained that after trifurcation of GHMC, the demand for extending the 20-KL free water supply scheme got intense from resident welfare associations (RWAs) of Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC) and Cybersabad Municipal Corporation (CMC).

At present, all representations from the newly formed civic bodies are being forwarded to the board’s Managing Director, K Ashok Reddy.

Given the financial implications involved in extending the scheme, Water Board officials, however, have indicated that a final decision requires clearance from the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD).

A couple of days ago, the representatives of ‘All Colonies Federation,’ consisting of Bandlaguda Jagir, Kismatpur, and Hydershakote areas, met Water Board MD, K Ashok Reddy, and sought extension of the scheme to their areas.

“The MD gave us assurance to forward our representation to the MA&UD,” said Narender Babu, general secretary of All Colonies Federation.

Despite the growing requests, at present the Water Board has adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach, officials said.

With Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy being the Chairman of the HMWSSB, any final call on extending the scheme to the newly formed Municipal Corporations has to be taken by him, they point out.

The 20-kilolitre free water supply scheme was originally launched by the previous BRS government in January 2021, targeting domestic consumers within GHMC limits.

Under the existing framework, consumption of up to 20 KL per month is provided free of charge and usage exceeding that threshold is billed.

Current Water Board data indicates that over 6.5 lakh consumers, who have linked their accounts with the required identification and installed functional water meters, are availing the benefit.

While the board continues to issue ‘zero water bills’ to the verified consumers, slum-dwelling households remain exempt from the mandatory meter installation requirement and have not received bills since the scheme’s inception in 2020.

Free water scheme

• Up to 20 KL of free water per month for eligible domestic households
• A functional water meter is mandatory for all individual domestic, residential complex (MSB), and bulk connections to accurately record consumption
• All consumers must link their number to their Consumer Account Number (CAN) to qualify for the scheme
• Consumers using up to 20 KL per month receive a ‘zero water bill’
• If consumption exceeds 20 KL limit, consumers are charged for the total volume consumed based on the applicable slab-based tariff
• Households in designated slum areas are exempt from the requirement to install individual water meters
• 6.5 lakh consumers are utilising the scheme