HMWSSB launches 100-day drive to crack down on illegal water connections

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has launched a 100-day special ‘Door-to-Door Can Survey’ across its entire jurisdiction.

The drive aims to identify illegal sewer connections, verify connection categories, ensure proper billing and improve transparency in water usage.

Specially trained field teams will visit every household to check whether sewer connections are authorised or unauthorised and whether they fall under domestic or commercial categories.

Real-time monitoring of water usage

During the survey, officials will verify sewer pipeline size, number of connections, meter details and nature of usage. All data will be captured instantly through a dedicated mobile application, allowing real-time monitoring and accurate record maintenance.

Identifying misuse in domestic-to-commercial conversions

Buildings officially holding domestic connections but engaged in commercial activity will be shifted to the commercial category. This reclassification will lead to revised billing with effect from the date of misuse.

Where illegal sewer connections are detected, notices will be issued, followed by regularisation with a minimum penalty equivalent to three years of charges, said HMWSSB managing director Ashok Reddy.

100% coverage target in each section

The Water Board has directed that every section must achieve 100 per cent survey coverage within 100 days. Section managers have been made directly responsible for execution.

Survey teams will collect complete details including consumer number, meter status, house area, number of floors and rooms and type of connection. In cases of violation, immediate steps will be taken for regularisation, meter installation and category correction.

Vigilance re-survey to cross-verify findings

To ensure transparency and eliminate manipulation of data, the Vigilance Wing will conduct a sample re-survey after the main exercise is completed. Any discrepancies found will attract strict departmental action, officials warned.

14.36 lakh sewer connections under water board limits

At present, the Water Board services around 14.36 lakh sewer connections. About 85 per cent are domestic connections, while the remaining 15 per cent fall under commercial, industrial and other categories.

On average, 10,000 to 15,000 new connections are being sanctioned every month, while commercial sewer connections remain limited to around 54,000.

Misuse involves tampering, wrong usage and illegal connections

Officials said the survey was launched after repeated complaints that domestic connections are being used for commercial purposes, water meters are being tampered with to suppress billing and multiple unauthorised connections exist at a single premises.

The survey is expected to expose irregularities, ensure fair billing and strengthen the city’s sewer management system.

Connection-wise breakup

Category Number

Domestic: 9,28,631

Domestic – Slums: 2,46,857

Domestic – Multi-Unit: 1,36,638

Domestic with Plots: 38,493

MSAC – Domestic: 54,301

Bulk Commercial: 82