A week after it was reported that the University of Hyderabad (UoH) was having a tough time with the water crisis, the varsity has, for the first time, shortened its next semester by one month.
According to a report in the Times of India, a revised calendar has been issued by the academic council according to which the ensuing Winter Semester will conclude in April, a month before it ends every year.
Devesh Nigam, joint registrar (academics & examinations), in a notification, announced that the academic calendar will be rescheduled to complete the "end-semester examination and evaluation" by April 14 next year instead of May 14 "due to acute water shortage prevailing in the campus."
The water in Manjeera reservoir, the major source of drinking water for Hyderabad, dried up this year for the first time in 30 years, leaving the river bed desolate and dotted with puddles of muddy water.
Meanwhile, the UoH administration has been hiring water tankers but to no avail. The Students' Union also submitted a representation early this month.
Two borewells have been dug for now, one near the research scholars' hostel and another near the ladies hostel and the students' union plans to hold a meeting with the administration soon to resolve the water crisis.
Due to water issue on campus, students will get additional holidays as the university has fixed a period of 94 days of summer vacations for students, starting April 15. However, for teachers, the university has fixed a summer vacation of 46 days. The university will reopen on July 18, the TOI report added.