Private water tanker mafia exploits groundwater as govt agencies remain mute spectators

The severe depletion of groundwater levels this summer created favourable conditions for private water tanker operators to thrive in their business

Hyderabad: Private water tanker operators are thriving in the GHMC areas, thanks to an utter lack of coordination among key govt agencies, including the Ground Water Department, HMWSSB, Revenue, and Road Transport Authority (RTA), leading to unbridled exploitation of groundwater.

The private commercial water exploitation is a thriving business, with the private water tanker operators literally ‘greasing’ the palms of officials of many a department, which are meant to check the commercial exploitation. The other biggest problem these unscrupulous operators create is that they sink borewells for more than 2000 feet, thereby rendering any domestic borewell useless, as these super deep borewells lead to the drying up of all borewells in the vicinity.

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The severe depletion of groundwater levels this summer created favourable conditions for private water tanker operators to thrive in their business. Thus, the issue of groundwater exploitation in Greater Hyderabad and its surrounding areas has become a significant concern.

It is a known fact that the private tankers mafia runs its modus operandi by forming syndicates and operates the private tankers with huge capacities of tanks, discreetly, often evading the attention of the government authorities.

The agricultural landowners in Patancheru, Shankarpally, Mokilla, and adjoining suburbs are operating the borewells, using them for commercial purposes by supplying bore water even though they are meant for farming purposes.

In some locations, the operators build water sumps in open areas, cover them with black polythene sheets and arrange high-capacity submersible pumps to fill the tankers. Interestingly, most of these filling stations are in remote locations that aren’t easy to find. Interestingly, in Gopanpally locality near the Journalists Colony, a borewell operator sank several deep borewells, constructed a sump covered with plastic sheets from which he would draw water to fill up the tanks. Though this activity has been going on for years, no authority of any department has taken the initiative to check this crass commercial exploitation of underground water.

When Telangana Today spoke with a few private tank operators, they said “Over 500 to 800 private tankers are operating across the city and its neighbouring areas, supplying untreated bore water, mainly to high-rise apartments, villas, group housing colonies, MNCs (software companies), shopping malls, hostels, corporate hospitals, small-scale industries, and star hotels and restaurants.

The private tankers, however, will not be allowed to fill the purified water at the HMWS&SB’s elevated level service reservoirs (ELSRs) across the city unless HMWS&SB grants temporary licenses to them with stipulated rules and regulations.

An interesting fact is that these private tankers are plying on the city roads at high speed, similar to ambulances, but the Road Transport Authority (RTA), Telangana, does not seem interested in checking the fitness of the vehicles and whether they are licensed to operate water tankers.

A senior Ground Water Department official who swiftly reacted regarding the over-exploitation of groundwater by the private tanker mafia said, “The borewells are permitted for use in farming purposes, but not for commercial use, but overexploiting, the GWD is aware of it.” If any specific complaint is received from the locals regarding illegal activity, it is then forwarded to either the revenue or local police.”

“It is crucial for the government to take immediate and decisive action to curb the activities of these private tanker mafias. Implementing stricter regulations and ensuring their enforcement can help protect groundwater resources and ensure sustainable water management for the future,” a senior retired HMWSSB official admitted.

City-based environmentalists said that overexploiting the groundwater is an unchecked activity by the GWD, and it not only poses a severe threat but also leads to the depletion of vital water resources. Lack of intervention and enforcement of regulations by the government departments allows these mafias to continue their operations unabated, they added.