Aid sought for Krishna water

HYDERABAD: With drinking water crisis looming large over Hyderabad city and all the MLAs from Greater Hyderabad cornering the state government in the Assembly and at the District Review Committee meetings urging it to take up the third phase of the Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme, government seems to have woken up at last.Principal secretary (MAUD) Sam Bob has written a letter to the Union ministry of urban development a few days ago submitting details of the scheme and seeking sanction of financial assistance by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) during 2012-13.The MAUD requested the Centre to forward the Detailed Project Report to the department of economic affairs. The estimated cost of the KDWSSP Phase-III is around Rs 1,670 crore. The project has become important due to rapid urbanisation in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits.Besides, the reliability of existing sources are diminishing with each passing day due scanty rainfall. The Osmansagar and Himayatsagar sources are drying up and the dwindling inflows to Singur and Manjira sources have also sent alarm bells ringing.According to HMWS&SB, the total allocation for drinking water needs of Hyderabad from River Krishna is 16.5 tmcft. Already, 11 tmcft of water is being drawn through Phase-I and II schemes.The balance available allocation from the river is 5.5 tmcft. Earlier, the proposal was that the government would give 50 percent budgetary support and the balance project cost would be arranged as a loan component from financial institutions, preferably HUDCO, which again will be under-written by the state government.The ongoing Godavari Drinking Water Project Phase-I, costing about Rs 3,375 crore, is not proceeding on expected lines due to improper allocation of funds in the budget in the last three years.