Gated communities in Hyderabad shut swimming pools, cut usage by 30%, and urge residents to conserve every drop as El Niño raises water crisis fears in Telangana | Hyderabad News

Gated communities shut swimming pools to conserve water

Hyderabad: From shutting swimming pools to urging residents to cut consumption, gated communities across Hyderabad are stepping up efforts to conserve water amid the looming crisis.A gated community in Kompally has decided to shut its swimming pool, which requires an additional 10,000 litres of fresh water during routine filtration and cleaning. The management said the chlorinated water drained during the process cannot be recycled or reused for other purposes.“Our community swimming pool has a capacity of 1 lakh litres. During regular filtration and cleaning, we need to add around 10,000 litres of fresh water. As this is chlorinated water, it cannot be recycled or reused for other purposes. Considering the prevailing water crisis and the need to prioritise drinking and domestic requirements, our community has voluntarily decided to close the swimming pool,” said Sampath Reddy Mamidi, president of the Beema Pride Welfare Association.He said the decision was part of a collective effort to conserve water and support the efforts of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) and the state govt during the critical period.The Tellapur Neighborhood Association (TeNA) has also issued a circular urging residents to reduce water consumption by 30%. Its measures include closing swimming pools or restricting their operating hours, limiting borewell usage to two slots — 5 am to 7 am and 6 pm to 8 pm — reducing water pressure and reusing sewage treatment plant (STP) water.The association’s executive committee has also asked residents to reuse water from reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers, shorten shower time, repair leaks and use buckets instead of hoses to wash vehicles and balconies.Other apartment communities are adopting similar measures to minimise wastage and conserve available supplies.“In our apartment, we have already asked people to reuse RO water and stop using showers. Other measures will be followed,” said Srinivas Bellam of Tirumala Hills Neeladri Garudaadri in Pragathi Nagar.