Hyderabad water tanker supplies resume after Hydraa talks

The Hyderabad Water Tankers Association called off its strike and resumed supplies after agreeing to source borewell water from outside the ORR with necessary permissions. Hydraa said it would continue efforts to curb illegal commercial groundwater extraction in high-demand localities.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Water Tankers Association has called off its strike and resumed supplies after operators agreed to draw borewell water only from outside the ORR, Hydraa Commissioner A V Ranganath said on Wednesday.

Members of the Hyderabad Water Tankers Association, led by president Chandrashekar, met Hydraa officials and agreed to collect borewell water, after obtaining the required permissions, from outside the ORR, he said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Hydraa had asked operators to stop illegally extracting groundwater from densely populated areas within ORR, citing a drastic fall in the groundwater table because of inadequate rainfall linked to El Niño.

Tanker operators generally choose nearby extraction points to reduce travel distances and fuel costs, increasing pressure on groundwater as hundreds of paying-guest hostels operate in localised pockets such as Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, Ameerpet and Ashok Nagar, said the press release.

Several colonies and residents’ welfare associations have complained about illegal commercial extraction and domestic borewells drying up. Hydraa would coordinate with the HMWSSB and other departments to curb large-scale commercial exploitation in densely populated, high-demand localities while facilitating uninterrupted supplies to commercial establishments, the release added.