Hyderabad Plans Overhaul of Ageing Manjeera Water Supply System
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad’s ageing Manjeera water supply network is set for a major upgrade, with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) floating a Rs 551.07-crore project to replace vulnerable pipelines, expand treatment capacity and reduce recurring leakages and breakdowns.
The project covers the refurbishment and upgradation of the Manjeera Water Supply Scheme Phase I and Phase II, a decades-old system that continues to supply drinking water to parts of Hyderabad.
HMWSSB has invited bids for the project, with the tender scheduled to close on October 5, 2026. The successful contractor will have 24 months to complete the works.
A central component will be a new 232 million litres per day (MLD) water treatment plant at Kalabgoor, along with a new intake well and pumping facilities.
The project will also create new transmission infrastructure to carry treated water toward Patancheru and Hyderabad.
Under the plan, HMWSSB will lay about 24.2 km of 1,700-mm-diameter pipeline from the Kalabgoor clear-water reservoir to the Outer Ring Road. Another 5.5-km pipeline of the same diameter will extend from the ORR to the Patancheru pump house.
The existing network between Patancheru and Hydernagar will be replaced with about 9.8 km of 1,500-mm-diameter pipeline, while another 900-mm-diameter line is planned between Patancheru and Lingampally.
Several road crossings are proposed to be executed using trenchless technology to limit disruption to traffic and existing infrastructure.
The project also includes a six-million-gallon clear-water reservoir, a pumping station and an electrical substation.
Ageing network prone to failures
The upgrade is intended to address a persistent weakness in Hyderabad’s water infrastructure.
The Manjeera transmission network was developed decades ago using cement pipelines. As the system has aged, sections have become increasingly susceptible to leakages and breakdowns, contributing to interruptions in water supply.
An HMWSSB official said the project is intended to reduce leakages, breakdowns and non-revenue water — water that enters the supply system but does not generate revenue because of factors such as physical losses — while also increasing treatment capacity and replacing ageing infrastructure.
The contractor selected for the project will also be responsible for operating and maintaining the upgraded system for five years after commissioning, according to the project details.
Once completed, the investment is expected to strengthen one of Hyderabad’s long-standing drinking-water supply systems by addressing both ends of the network: increasing treatment capacity at Kalabgoor and replacing vulnerable transmission infrastructure carrying water toward the city.
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