The Mallaram pump house in Siddipet which supplies Godavari water to Hyderabad was flooded on Monday, August 30 affecting operations and water supply to the city. Heavy rains resulted in flash floods that inundated the pump house affecting the pumps, informed officials with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB).
Water entered the pump station after a flash flood breached a compound wall. Plans are afoot to construct a retaining wall to prevent future inundation of the pump house. Efforts are also on to draw the water out from the pump room and resume operations. Officials estimate the water to be cleared in two days and expect service from the pump house to resume in three days. To prevent water shortage in Hyderabad in the meantime, officials are drawing water from other reservoirs to meet the demand.
Unprecedented rains & flash floods in Siddipet district inundated Mallaram pump house of Godavari wtr lines. Malkajgiri Serilingampally,kukatpally,Quthbullapur,Nijampet,Bachupally affected for next 48 hrs.use water judiciously,155313 to assist @GHMCOnline @KTRTRS @HMWSSBOnline
— Dana Kishore (@MDHMWSSB) August 30, 2021
The Mallaram pump house supplies water to Serilingampally, Kukatpally, Quthbullapur, Malkajgiri, Sainikpuri, Nizampet, Patancheru, Bachupally and other localities. The pump house supplied 110 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) to the city. To make up for the loss, the HMWSSB is sourcing 40 MDG of water from Singur and 27 MDG from Osman Sagar and Himayathsagar reservoirs. About 12 MGD water is also being diverted from the Krishna river, so officials are able to meet 76 MGD of water.
HMWSSB officials are also making arrangements for free water tankers to supply water to certain localities in the city as hand pumps may not be operational. A spare pump from the Bommakal water treatment plant has been brought in to try to resume service after the pump house is cleared of water.
Finance Minister T Harish Rao and HMWSSB Managing Director Dana Kishore visited the pump house on Monday and took stock of the situation.