Hyderabad: Amid a deepening water crisis in the city, illegal water trading around Himayatsagar and Osmansagar has come under scrutiny after authorities uncovered large-scale groundwater diversion for commercial purposes, reportedly generating crores of rupees.In the latest crackdown, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) on Saturday lodged complaints of cheating and trespassing against a private operator at the Rajendranagar police station for illegally drawing nearly one lakh litres of groundwater every day from the full tank level (FTL) limits of Himayatsagar reservoir.During inspections, vigilance officials from HMWS&SB found that the accused had drilled multiple borewells near the reservoir. They also discovered a massive one lakh-litre storage tank constructed adjacent to the reservoir to support the illegal operation.It is learnt that water was pumped into tankers using high-capacity motors and supplied to apartments, hotels, hostels and other commercial establishments. The water was sold through 10 kilolitre (KL) and 20 KL tankers, with prices ranging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 per tanker, depending on demand.Estimates show that nearly 10,000 tankers were supplied this summer from the source alone.“The accused, Buchi Babu, deployed at least 10 tankers near Himayatsagar and has been running this illegal business for a long time. We have written to the revenue department to seize the tankers and asked the groundwater department to initiate action against illegal extraction,” a senior HMWS&SB vigilance officer said, adding, “Two cases have already been booked, and the activity has been curtailed.”Officials believe this might only be the tip of the iceberg, with several similar water supply networks operating near Himayatsagar and Osmansagar with areas like Janwada, Vattinagulapalli, Himayatsagar village, Moinabad and Aziz Nagar reportedly turning hubs for such activities.Drop in reservoir levelsConcerns have also grown over the sharp decline in water levels in both reservoirs. While other major drinking water sources such as Manjeera and Singur have already dried up, the twin reservoirs maintained healthy levels until April. However, water reserves have since dropped significantly. Osmansagar, for instance, had 3.3 TMC of water in the first week of April, which has now fallen to 2.8 TMC, while in Himayatsagar, the levels dropped from 2.6 TMC to 2.3 TMC.“We have deployed special vigilance teams to crack down on illegal groundwater extraction and tanker operations around the reservoirs. Surprise inspections are being conducted regularly as the reservoirs have a high water table and unchecked extraction could severely impact drinking water resources,” an HMWS&SB transmission wing official said. He added: “Strict action will be taken against those exploiting the city’s water resources during this period of acute scarcity.“
