The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has admitted that the twin reservoirs supplying drinking water to several parts of the city occasionally face the problem of sewage pollution from the surrounding areas.
Through a video statement on Thursday, the director general of the board, K. Ashok Reddy, said that over the years, several dwellings have come up in the areas surrounding the reservoirs, from which sewage occasionally enters the water bodies. However, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has sanctioned ₹85 crore for the construction of sewage treatment plants on both sides of each reservoir, which are expected to solve the problem. The WWTPs, four in number, will be ready within the next six months, after which the sewage entering the lakes can be fully treated.
The clarification came after a viral video clip showed a tanker caught discharging septic waste into the Osmansagar reservoir. The person who shot the video is blaming the tanker driver and questioning him about the violation.
In response, Mr. Ashok Reddy sought to clarify that an attempt was made to dump septic waste into the Gandipet tank through a tanker bearing registration number TG11 T1833. A criminal case has been registered against those who resorted to the act, including tanker driver Ramavat Shiva Naik and Himayatnagar resident Niranjan, on whose orders the dumping attempt took place.
Moinabad police informed that cases have been registered against the accused under Section 279 of the BNS, which deals with pollution of water from a public spring or reservoir, and Section 43 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
Three types of serious violations were recorded in the incident, first, illegal use of HMWS&SB and GHMC logos on the tanker, unauthorized use of a vehicle to transport sewage and environmental pollution by mixing septic waste in a protected tank.
Mr. Ashok Reddy informed that the tankers authorized to transport septic waste are functioning through an application monitored by the Administration Staff College of India. Tankers can be booked to transport waste to any of the 45 STPs operating in the city where it can be processed.
To ensure that water from the reservoirs is not polluted, he said raw water is treated at Asif Nagar and Miralam treatment plants before being pumped for drinking water needs. In future, there are plans to bring water from the Godavari river and store it in a reservoir, which eliminates pollution, he said.
Published – 18 Dec 2025 20:42 IST
