Residents in Jalpally municipality, on the outskirts of the city, are frustrated because they received messages from the water board demanding payment for water bills and arrears, even though they have no connections. Most bore wells in the area are not supplying enough water due to deepening of groundwater from the heat. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) sent the messages to residents who relied solely on groundwater and did not apply for tap connections.
Syed Ghouse Hussain and Samad Bin Siddiq, residents of Jalpally municipality, expressed their frustration over the messages. Syed Ghouse Hussain said he was shocked that he received messages demanding payment for monthly bills and hefty arrears because he never applied for a tap connection approved by the water board. Samad Bin Siddiq received a message asking him to pay the monthly bill amount along with arrears for the past one and a half years. HMWSSB officials claim that the messages sent to residents are generated based on municipal records.
Mohammed Sajid Ali, Manager (Engineering) of HMWSSB Jalpally Section, said they are in the process of regularizing municipal connections that existed before HMWSSB took over the area. As part of this process, they are sending messages to consumers with long-standing municipal connections. Jalpally municipality has a population of over one lakh, comprises 28 wards, and faces significant water scarcity. Out of a total of 13,600 connections in the municipality, 4,000 were provided by the HMWSSB while the rest fall under the Outer Ring Road (ORR) service, also known as municipal connections.
