Hyderabad: Sri Nagar Colony residents rue Water Board's apathy

Hyderabad: The apathy of Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has led to suffering of about 300 residents in Steel and Mines Complex, Sri Nagar Colony as the underground and drinking water was getting polluted with nala water.

According to residents, this problem has been surfacing every summer and despite repeated representations to the Water Board, no action has been taken by the authorities.

According to Kavitha, one of the residents, last year, the water experts were called to the complex to test the groundwater. "The experts gave us the report that the groundwater should not be used for any purposes as it contains chemicals that can cause severe diseases and they also said in their report that this water contamination problem would arise every summer when the usage of water gets doubled. The Association, as a precautionary measure, got a breach near Tower 3 repaired and they used to mix chlorine at regular intervals into the storage tanks in the presence of office bearers of the Welfare Association."

With the onset of summer now, the problem has resurfaced and residents are complaining of bad odour in the water, and health issues like vomiting and gastric problems etc. One of the residents said that even drinking water, which was tested when they were getting their purifier serviced, had tested to be highly polluted and they had installed an additional prefilter.

Speaking to The Hans India, Mohan, another resident of the complex said, "This problem has been more intense since 2020, and the health of our children is at stake as many are contracting diseases. The water that we receive from the ground is badly contaminated and some residents are forced to purchase water cans even for domestic use.

There are 112 apartments in the complex, the Water Board needs to resolve this issue immediately." They further said there is a nala adjacent to the complex wall, but neither the HMWS&SB, the GHMC nor any public representative has ever bothered to take necessary measures to resolve the issue. For over two decades, the nala has been an open drain and though the complex is located just behind the house of Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, no developmental activity had been taken up by anyone. The residents said that apart from being next to a Minister's house and the colony itself being considered as a posh one abutting Road No 3 Banjara Hills, there appears to be no end to the water problem.