Hyderabad Water Crisis: Sri Chaitanya, Narayana Colleges Declare Holidays

The growing water shortage in Hyderabad's Core Urban Region Economy (CURE) area, reportedly linked to the El Niño effect, has started disrupting normal activities at educational institutions and residential hostels. With water supplies becoming increasingly unreliable, several private colleges have decided to suspend on-campus operations temporarily and send students home until Diwali.

Sri Chaitanya and Narayana educational institutions in and around Madhapur announced holidays for their residential campuses on Tuesday. Following the announcement, hundreds of students began leaving their campuses to return to their hometowns. Several students were seen heading towards Metro stations, particularly in the Hitec City area, to catch buses and trains.

According to the notices issued by the college managements, parents were instructed to arrange transportation and take their children home by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. The decision was taken after residential campuses experienced difficulties arranging sufficient water for drinking, cooking, bathing and other essential activities.

Private Water Tanker Supply Disrupted

Until now, several colleges have been meeting their daily water requirements through privately operated tankers. However, recent enforcement measures taken by officials against tanker operators have reportedly disrupted these supplies. With alternative arrangements becoming difficult, educational institutions were left with little choice but to declare temporary holidays.

The impact is not limited to a few campuses. Around 10 Narayana Junior Colleges located in Madhapur and Ayyappa Society have also announced temporary closures until Diwali. Similarly, Sri Chaitanya management has declared holidays for students at several branches across Hyderabad, allowing them to return home during the water shortage.

Although the institutions have announced holidays until the festival, they have not yet confirmed when regular classroom activities will resume. Students will receive information about reopening schedules through subsequent announcements from their respective college managements.

Online Classes to Continue During Holidays

Despite the temporary suspension of physical classes, college administrations are taking steps to prevent interruptions to students' academic schedules. Managements have decided to conduct online lessons regularly so that students can continue their studies from home until campuses reopen.

Private Hostels Also Face Water Shortage

The shortage has also created difficulties for privately operated hostels across the CURE region. Many accommodation facilities depend heavily on private water tankers, and the disruption in tanker services has made it challenging to provide residents with sufficient water for everyday activities.

Meanwhile, Osmania University (OU) is also preparing for possible water supply difficulties after the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) informed the university administration about a reduction in the duration of water supply.

University officials have reportedly reorganised hostel accommodation to manage the situation. Students staying in hostels experiencing water shortages have been shifted to other residential blocks where water availability is comparatively better.

According to university sources, OU is relatively better positioned to handle the situation because its campus has extensive open spaces and borewell facilities. Officials are therefore hopeful that the university will be able to manage the reduced municipal water supply without facing a major crisis.