Power at night, water by day: Hyd tries new fix for old crisis

HYDERABAD:

In yet another attempt to break the cycle of blame and breakdowns, authorities in Hyderabad have proposed an unusual fix for the city's worsening water crisis - uninterrupted nighttime electricity supply to water pumping stations - but the plan raises as many questions as it seeks to answer.

The proposal emerged from a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abedin Memon on Monday, amid growing frustration over prolonged water shortages in a city surrounded by the Indus River and its network of canals.

Under the suggested arrangement, the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) will provide uninterrupted electricity for eight hours at night to all essential 11KV feeders linked to the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (HW&SC), effectively exempting them from load-shedding between 10:45pm and 6:45am.

Officials described the measure as a key step toward improving water supply operations, urging citizens to fill their water tanks during these hours.

However, the meeting offered no concrete solution for a long-standing issue that continues to cripple supply systems - frequent breakdowns of machinery at filtration plants and pumping stations, which often leave entire localities without water for days.

The decision also calls for joint night patrolling teams from HESCO and HW&SC to monitor pumping stations and respond to technical faults and emergencies.

Despite the plan, concerns remain over implementation. Many pumping stations and filtration plants fall in high-loss areas for HESCO, where power theft and line losses are already a major challenge.

Officials warned that uninterrupted supply could undermine the utility's ongoing crackdown on electricity theft.