The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will fine water tanker owners Rs 5,000 from Nov. 1 if their vehicles leak or spill water on roads. A tanker found in violation a second time will have its registration cancelled, officials said.
The board has found that poorly fitted lids on tankers cause large amounts of water to spill in transit. Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy has directed officials to inspect each tanker before it is filled, checking for leaks and whether the lid is secure. Tankers with defects must not be filled until they are repaired, he said, and filling station staff have been told to enforce this. Reddy also urged tanker owners and drivers to ensure no water is wasted.
From the same date, the board will introduce “green water” tankers carrying treated sewage water. It can be used for construction, watering plants, washing roads and suppressing dust, which officials say will cut the use of drinking water for such purposes and ease pressure on groundwater.
Green water tankers will carry special markings and GPS devices, allowing officials to track where each vehicle loaded water and where it delivered it. The board is also arranging for water that overflows when a tanker fills up to be routed back into the tank.
With demand for water rising across the city, the board has appealed to residents to use water carefully and said inspections and penalties will increase.
The move continues a wider push against wastage by the board. In October, it fined a Jubilee Hills hotel Rs 20,000 after Reddy saw excessive water being used to clean the premises. In July, it fined a Jubilee Hills property owner Rs 5,000 for wasting drinking water and warned that a repeat offense could lead to disconnection of water and sewage lines.