HYDERABAD: Initiatives galore to increase the revenue flow. But the monster of illegal connections and poor revenues created by unscrupulous insiders over the decades hangs like a Damocles sword.

What's more, the corrupt insiders continue to thwart even the new initiatives unheard of in its 15 years of formation.

There are 5.30 lakh connections in the twin cities and about 30 per cent of them are reportedly illegal.

Nevertheless, the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) that supplies drinking water to six million people everyday has had several firsts this year, including a never-heard-of impetus on revenue collection and several new initiatives.

Online payment of bills, payment at the doorstep and even better, electronic clearance service mode where the amount would be deducted directly from their bank accounts were introduced, a first for the water board.

Armed with bountiful supplies and renewed drive to mop up revenue flow, it even mooted more than one connection per household.

Record collection

The board collected a record Rs. 21.18 crores in the month of November and as many as Rs. 2.15 lakh customers had paid the water consumption charges for the first time in its history.

As a part of the revenue drive, the board plans to install one lakh water meters by the financial year-end and about 30,000 meters have been installed so far.

Plans were afoot to install 10,000 new meters every month.

Makes history

The board made history when it began round-the-clock supplies in Adikmet division, much to everyone's disbelief.

Indeed a great turnaround from the days of parched summers, dried up reservoirs and severe drinking water scarcity a couple of years back.

The round-the-clock supply scheme was extended to a couple of other divisions too.

Decks were also cleared for shoring up the storage capacity of the distribution network with the Board receiving Rs. 200 crores under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission programme.

Of this, Rs. 130 crores would be spent for the construction of 12 new reservoirs in the twin cities, including eight in the old city, and the rest for laying pipelines to take Krishna water to all areas.

The city has 80 reservoirs of 200 Mld capacity on date and the new reservoirs, on completion, could pave way for the long-forgotten concept of daily water supply, the Chief Minister's ambitious plan for the State capital.

Mainstay

The Krishna Drinking Water Project's second phase was completed on schedule and is ready for inauguration and yes, to bolster the drinking water supply situation of the twin cities with another 90 million gallons per day.

The first phase is already yielding a similar quantum and eventually the daily water supply hinges fully on the additional volumes the second phase brings in.

In the process, Krishna becomes the mainstay of the State capital's drinking water needs even as Singur continues to contribute a sizeable chunk.

In the melee, it is its own employees who are eating into the vitals of its health.

Bill collection

Even personnel of the private agencies engaged in bill collection seem to have joined the melee.

Indeed, a classic case of the fence eating the crop, which the board has to attend to immediately.

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