Pipelines run dry as tankers sell water

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The Water Board and the Secunderabad Cantonment Board are accused of minting money by selling water through mobile tankers instead of supplying it by the pipeline network.

Citizens naturally wonder why, if water is available for thousands of trips made by tankers, it is not available though the pipeline distribution system.

“Most borewells have dried up. Citizens depend on piped water from the Water Board for drinking and cooking purposes. But for other uses, there is no choice but to book a tanker. The officials are selling water at a higher price through mobile tankers,” said C. Jitender Kumar of Erragadda.

Mr Kumar says the calculation is simple. “The monthly water bill for piped water up to 15 kilo litres is less than Rs 215, while a mobile tanker charges Rs 400 for a single trip supplying only 5 kl (5,000 litres) of water.”

Moreover, the Board earns more by supplying the same 5,000 litres of water through mobile tankers to commercial establishments. The tariff for 5kl of mobile tanker water for commercial establishments is Rs 515.

Enquiries by this correspondent revealed that the Water Board has 527 “payment” mobile tankers, each making at least eight trips a day. There are another 136 mobile tankers with the Board that make free trips, i.e. supply tanker water free of cost to slums and un-served areas daily. The SCB has 13 mobile tankers each making six to eight trips per day. However, the paid trips to the domestic and commercial sector are limited to less than 60 trips per day and the remaining are free trips to slums and un-served and ill-served areas.

Water Board chief genera manager (revenue) Sundar Ram Reddy claims that the water supplied through mobile tankers is less than two per cent of the total water supplied through the pipeline network daily.

“People tend to misunderstand and say that the Board is making money by selling water through mobile tankers. This facility is mainly to supply water to un-served and ill-served areas. While we supply 342 mgd water every day through the pipeline network, only 5 mgd is supplied through tankers. Last year the total revenue from tanker supplies was less than Rs 2 crore,” Mr Reddy said.