THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

How Chennai's OMR residents are at the mercy of private water tankers For around four lakh families living in the IT hub of Chennai, one of their biggest fears came true when private water tankers threatened to go on strike from May 27. Also known as the IT Expressway due to the hundreds of IT and ITES companies that dot the skyline, the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) is solely dependent on private water tankers for potable water supply. The strike, that was later withdrawn, was the reason OMR residents chose to write to the Chief Minister seeking his attention at their grave situation. With groundwater depleted and borewells going dry, the severe water crisis in Chennai has forced residents in several neighbourhoods to rely on water tankers– managed both by private players and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). Residents like those in OMR, who have no piped water connection, say they have no option but to depend on private water tankers, even when they increase prices at whim. At the mercy of water tankers One homeowner in Navalur tells TNM that in addition to depending on private water tankers, residents have to pay the exorbitant rates quoted. "…

Hyderabad Water Crisis Deepens with Record 15,200 Tanker Bookings in ... Hyderabad:The city is grappling with a severe water crisis, recording an all-time high of 15,200 water tanker bookings in a single day on Saturday, May 30, surpassing the previous record of 12,000. The surge comes amid an intense summer, delayed pre-monsoon showers, and rapid concretisation, particularly in the IT and western corridors. In May alone, Hyderabad logged a staggering 3.36 lakh tanker bookings, while groundwater levels dropped to critical depths. Areas such as Kondapur, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, and Serilingampally have emerged as the worst-affected zones. In several pockets, groundwater has receded to depths of up to 100 metres, rendering shallow borewells dry. Despite the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) expanding its tanker fleet to 1,250 and increasing filling stations, demand continues to outstrip supply. A recent groundwater assessment report has flagged Hyderabad as the worst-affected metro in India for groundwater depletion, with 26 mandals classified as “critical” or “over-exploited.” Experts attribute the crisis to shrinking wetlands, rampant u…

Hyderabad's water crisis hits new peak: 15,200 tanker bookings in a ... HWSSB officials at a tanker filling station in Hyderabad Hyderabad : The city hit an all-time high of 15,200 water tanker bookings in a single day on May 30, surpassing the previous record of 12,000, as the city’s water crisis deepened through an unusually prolonged summer season. The HMWSSB has been supplying around 12,000 tankers a day, creating a gap between demand and actual availability. Despite the board expanding its tanker fleet to 1,250 and increasing the number of filling stations, demand has continued to outstrip supply. Demand outpaces supply The surge has been driven by an intense summer, delayed pre-monsoon showers, and rapid concretisation, particularly in the IT and western corridors. In May alone, Hyderabad logged 3.36 lakh tanker bookings, while groundwater levels dropped to critical depths. Areas such as Kondapur, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, and Serilingampally have emerged as the worst-affected zones. In several pockets, groundwater has receded to depths of up to 100 metres, rendering shallow borewells dry. HMWSSB estimates that nearly 20 per cent of the city’s tanker demand now comes…

Hyderabad water crisis: Daily demand reaches up to 20,000 tankers as ... With soaring temperatures, depleted groundwater levels and delayed monsoon showers, Hyderabad is witnessing one of its worst drinking water crises in recent years. Residents across several localities are struggling with irregular water supply, forcing many to depend on private and government tankers. The scale of the crisis has led to a sharp rise in tanker demand, with daily bookings crossing 15,000 during the last week of May, significantly higher than projections made by theHyderabadMetropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB). According to HMWS&SB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy, the situation has worsened due to the drying up of bore wells that had remained functional for years. "Normally, tanker bookings begin increasing from January. Earlier, we used to receive around 1,500 to 2,000 tanker bookings per day across Hyderabad. This year, the demand has risen sharply as groundwater levels have fallen and many bore wells that had never dried up in the last four to five years have gone dry," he said. Anticipating a difficult summer, the Water Board had expanded infrastructure to supply around 1…

Water crisis leaves Capital parched - thepatriot.in Lack of supply and shortage of water tankers has left residents of many localities in the national capital struggling for the basic amenity QUEUING UP: People in Sanjay Camp rush to collect water from the tanker. A couple of childerns are seen on top of the tanker PHOTO: GETTY Join Our WhatsApp Channel Water Crisis: As temperature soared beyond 50 degrees Celsius, the hue and cry over drinking water reverberated across the national capital as taps ran dry in some areas, while other places even faced shortage of water tankers. The water crisis in Delhi has severely impacted various localities, spanning from the NDMC areas to West Delhi’s Patel Nagar, and from North to South Delhi. Notably, the Sanjay Camp area in Chanakyapuri and Geeta Colony in East Delhi are among the worst-hit. The crisis has also affected residents of Mehrauli and Chhatarpur. Patriot accessed the situation on the ground and found residents of these areas thronging water tankers with empty buckets, with some even jumping the queue to get ahead. The residents of Sanjay Camp were seen standing in a long queue under the scorching sun, waiting for the water tanker …

TNUHDB residents plagued by water woes for four months CHENNAI: Thousand of families living in the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements in Kannagi Nagar, Ezhil Nagar and Tsunami Quarters near Sholinganallur have raised concerns over the continued water shortages, forcing residents to spend hours every day waiting to collect water for their basic household needs. These resettlement sites, which house more than 20,000 families, depend entirely on water supplied by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), as groundwater in the area is saline and unfit for drinking. Water is first stored in common sumps and then distributed to households through overhead tanks. But, for almost four months now, the water supply in the area remains inadequate due to low pressure, said the residents and added that it has disrupted their daily routine. “Earlier, the common sump would fill within four to five hours, but it now takes nearly eight to nine hours, causing delays in water distribution,” said Murugan, a resident of Ezhil Nagar. He also pointed out that the ageing infrastructure is a major reason behind the problem. “The pumps and pipelines are…

Millions of Delhi residents lost water for days. Some say it's ... - CNN India Asia Water availability See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads Link Copied! Follow New Delhi — Ravinder Kumar wades through ankle-deep sludge every day to leave his home in Sharma Enclave in northwest Delhi – yet inside the brick tenement, he does not have a drop to drink. Surrounded by filth, the 55-year-old twists his plastic taps regularly, hoping for relief. “Water comes once every three days, and even then, you only get clean water for an hour,” the father of three told CNN on Monday. “It’s difficult to bathe. The water is black at times. We wash once every four or five days.” Kumar is one of millions of residents in the Indian capital suffering sporadic water shortages due to rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna River that last week forced six of the city’s nine major water plants to shut down. Water from the Yamuna – considered sacred and worshipped by millions – has become so polluted by ammonia from industrial waste that water plants have been unable to treat it. Empty buckets of water in Sharma Enclave, northwest Delhi. Esha Mitra/CNN Residents in Raghubir Nagar say they were forced t…

Delhi tanker spill at Gulabi Bagh highlights wastage in water shortage ... Delhi Jal Board tankers at the Gulabi Bagh filling point were reported spilling water while being loaded for shortage-hit localities, raising questions about tanker oversight and wastage during a water crisis. Delhi Jal Board tankers meant for shortage-hit neighbourhoods were reported spilling thousands of litres at the Gulabi Bagh filling point in north Delhi, turning part of the supply chain for parched localities into a source of waste. The incident, reported on June 13, showed water overflowing while tankers were being filled, with runoff pooling on the ground and leaving the area muddy and waterlogged. According to the report, the wastage was happening before the tankers even left the station. What the report says The tankers are used to deliver water to localities facing shortages across the city. Instead, the filling point itself was losing water during dispatch, reducing the efficiency of a system already under pressure. The report said the overflow was visible at the site and suggested that the wastage was continuing during the loading process rather than after delivery. Why it matters The spill co…

Water tankers on way to parched localities spill thousands of litres in Delhi Delhi's water tankers are losing significant amounts of water before reaching thirsty households. Leakages at filling points and during transit, due to old vehicles and poor infrastructure, mean less water for residents already struggling with supply. Authorities promise to address this wastage, acknowledging water's immense value.

Explained: Why Mumbai's water tankers are on strike and why it matters As Mumbai grapples with a water supply cut imposed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the crisis has been compounded by an indefinite strike called by the Mumbai Water Tankers Association (MWTA), disrupting a critical alternative source of water for thousands of households, businesses and informal settlements. The twin disruptions have brought the city’s dependence on private water tankers into sharp focus, even as tanker operators protest regulatory norms governing groundwater extraction.Pratip Acharyaexplains the reasons for Mumbai’s latest water crisis. These tankers extract groundwater from wells, which are owned by private owners.The MWTA’s strike comes in line with demanding amendments in the latest CGWA guidelines pertaining to the extraction of groundwater. The MWTA has also demanded that till the amendments are implemented, no coercive action should be taken against them for carrying out operations inMumbai. The 2020 Guidelines to Regulate and Control GroundWaterExtraction in India were notified by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) on September 24, 2020, under powers exercised through t…

Hyderabad Water Crisis: 70% Groundwater Over-Exploited, Tanker Costs ... Hyderabad’s water crisis has been building quietly — overshadowed by the more dramatic headlines from Bengaluru and Chennai. But the numbers coming out of the Telangana Groundwater Department are, in many ways, more alarming than either of those cities. If you live in Hyderabad and you’ve noticed your borewell needing to go deeper, your tanker bills climbing, or your neighbours drilling new borewells that fail within a season, this is why. The Numbers That Should Worry Every Hyderabad Resident According to the Telangana Groundwater Department , 70% of Greater Hyderabad is extracting groundwater unsustainably. Of the city’s 16 mandals, 11 have drawn between 100% and 177% of their available groundwater. Let that number sink in — several parts of Hyderabad are extracting nearly twice as much groundwater as exists in the annual recharge cycle. That’s not a water budget that balances; it’s a deficit that compounds every year. The city has lost 2.88 billion cubic metres of groundwater reserves, marking one of the steepest declines in the country. Despite receiving 15% excess rainfall in recent monsoons, groundwater…