HMWSSB holds monsoon preparedness plan

Hyderabad: To provide relief to Hyderabadis from water logging and various other rain-related problems, this monsoon, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has announced its ‘Monsoon Plan – 2024’ initiative.

In that regard, Water Board managing director Sudarshan Reddy on Monday held a meeting and announced details of the planned drive. He said that the focus should be on drinking water supply and sewage management. It was ordered to ensure that there is no contaminated water supply and that there is an adequate amount of chlorine in it. He added that sewage overflow should be taken seriously, and complaints about sewage overflow and contaminated water supply have been ordered to be resolved within half an hour.

During the meeting, it was explained that safety grills should be fixed to manholes, and red flags, indicator boards and warning boards should be installed at dangerous manholes.

“Hyderabad Water Board and GHMC will regularly monitor 120 waterlogging points. Remove the waste (silt) taken from the manholes from time to time. Concerned authorities are advised to take care to prevent garbage from entering the well water pipe line and canal crossing. Warning boards should be installed at flooded manholes,” the MD added.

Sudarshan Reddy appealed to the people of the city not to open the lids of manholes under any circumstances. If the manhole lid is destroyed or noticed to be left open anywhere, call Water Board customer care number 155313 and give details, he informed.

Highlighting on the installation of safety grills on manholes, the senior officer said GHMC has 5,767 km of sewerage network while suburban municipalities have 4,200 km of sewerage network. There are about 6,34,919 manholes in GHMC and suburb municipalities, of which 63,221 are deep manholes. Of these, 26,798 are under GHMC and 36,423 are under suburban municipalities. Safety grills have already been installed for almost all the deep manholes under the GHMC. The work of fastening grills to those under the jurisdiction of suburban municipalities has gained momentum.

“The Water Board has set up a special ‘Central Safety Protocol Cell’ in 2022 to monitor the monsoon works. This six-member cell works under the supervision of the Chief Vigilance Officer, who will also act as the Chief Safety Protocol Officer. It consists of a patrol vehicle, one constable, two home guards and communication equipment. This cell audits, monitors reports on daily complaints received from field staff and ensures compliance of safety measures in work areas. Apart from this, the Emergency Response Team will also play a vital role during the rainy season, providing relief measures in times of crises,” he added.