Watch: HMWSSB books septic tanker driver for dumping waste into Osman Sagar

A septic tanker allegedly dumping dirty water into the Osman Sagar reservoir triggered alarm among HMWSSB officials after a video went viral. The tanker driver was caught and booked, with officials assuring safe water supply through strict treatment and monitoring.

Hyderabad: An incident involving a septic tanker allegedly dumping dirty water into the Osman Sagar reservoir caused alarm among officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB).

The incident came to light on Thursday after a video of the dumping went viral. On December 17, patrol staff of the HMWSSB noticed a private septic tanker discharging dirty water at 8 am near FTL Point No. 428 beside Himayat Sagar village. The patrol staff caught the septic tanker driver and a criminal case was filed against him, according to an official release.

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Driver Ramavath Shiva Naik (33) admitted that he acted under the instructions of Niranjan, a resident of Himayat Sagar. The HMWSSB found several violations in the incident, including misuse of the HMWSSB logo to evade checks, operation of an unregistered vehicle and potential contamination of drinking water supplied to millions. Officials lodged a criminal complaint against Naik and the tanker owner at Moinabad police station.

HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy assured consumers that water from Gandipet is transferred to the Asif Nagar and Mir Alam water treatment plants, where quality is checked every hour. Water is supplied through a three-stage chlorination process, making it fit for consumption.

A Water Board official said the board will not tolerate any action that contaminates drinking water sources. He said surveillance would be increased and strict legal action taken against offenders. He urged people to report instances of illegal waste dumping around reservoirs to local authorities or call the Water Board’s customer care number 155313.