New trenchless tech to identify water pollution in Hyderabad

Faced with public outcry over two water contamination incidents at Vaddera Basthi in Madhapur and Mughal Colony in Mailardevpally recently, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has started using advanced equipment fitted with a camera and trenchless technology to identify the sources of water pollution and rectify them on the spot.

Despite the water board taking various measures, complaints about water pollution continue to flood the HMWS&SB's metro customer care which receives, on average, 150-200 complaints. In some instances, residents had to be hospitalised after consuming contaminated water and officials had to dig kilometers of the length of roads to identify the source of contamination to iron out the problem.

"But with the new equipment, road excavation is not required as it provides visuals of the internal condition of pipelines. Water line blockages, pipeline cracks and submerged valves can also be easily checked," general manager (O&M), Marredpally, PV Ramana Reddy said. A senior official said the water board is likely to purchase the equipment in bulk.

The equipment was pressed into service in certain pockets of Secunderabad, SR Nagar, Jubilee Hills and Somajiguda. General manager (O&M), SR Nagar, Hari Shankar, who tested the new equipment, said: "We were able to zero in on contamination sources within the conduit and replace the water lines. We were able to save a lot of time and also avoid road excavation."