[1]The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will put a price on Hussainsagar water once they start releasing treated water into the lake. The HMDA has taken up the Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project (HCIP) at an estimated cost of `370 crore, mostly funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The project is expected to be completed by March 2013. Currently, about 25 million litres of raw water from Hussainsagar is supplied daily free of cost to 23 parks in the city. A paltry 40 paise per kilolitre is charged from industries and Rs 23,000 per month is collected for only 3 MLD of the total 25 MLD being supplied. Officials said that the cost of treating the lake’s water works out to over Rs 7 per kilo litre. However, a final decision on pricing will be taken after a detailed study by private consultants on the existing supplies and future demands for water.
Currently, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board is supplying drinking water at Rs 10 per KL to domestic consumers under the 15 KL slab. GHMC engineer-in-chief R. Dhan Singh said that two agencies — government-owned WAPCOs Consultants, and a private agency, Aarvee Associates — had come forward to study the existing supply network and requirements.
The chosen agency will conduct studies and prepare a detailed project report for refurbishment of the existing Hussainsagar Raw Water Distribution System, establish a controlled mechanism for water release and prepare an inventory. The GHMC standing committee will finalise one of the consultants in its next meeting this week. HMDA officials said once the project was completed, the hydrology of the lake would be maintained at .9 TMC or nearly one TMC with treated water. The water holding capacity of the lake at its FTL is nearly one TMC.
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