Hyderabad: Water supply to slums dries up in hard times

Hyderabad: Dwellers in slums across the city, especially in Alwal, Tarnaka, Domalguda and Secunderabad, are facing a severe water crisis, which is only compounded by the ongoing lockdown.

People are deploring that the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has not been supplying water on a regular basis. "We have not received drinking water for more than five days now. Before the lockdown, a water tanker used to come regularly but now even after making complaints to the officials concerned, no one has turned up yet. The only option is that we are fetching water from the public bore well that is far from our house," said Deepak Kumar, an auto diver and resident of Alwal

"We have four public taps in our basti, and not one is functional. Around 200 residents reside here. We have repeatedly complained to officials but there has been no response and we are forced to purchase water," said Anil, a resident of 108 Basti Bazar.

"Though the central government and the state government emphasised on washing hands as a preventive measure against Covid-19, if there is no water for drinking and daily use, how we can wash our hands? We are tired of complaining to officials concerned to restore the water supply and no one is bothered to solve our issue," said Anitha, a resident of Old Dairy Farm Slum, Osmania University Campus.

"The residents of Old Dairy Farm Slum have several times requested the HMWSSB to restore the water supply and now they are forced to buy water from the shops. Even Human Rights Commission also has given the order to restore the water but till today no one has come to their rescue," said Syed Khaled Shah Chishti Hussain, the general secretary of United Federation of Slum Dwellers, Osmania University Campus.