HYDERABAD: From washing cars with drinking water to overflowing sumps and leaking pipelines, residents can now report instances of water wastage through a new app — PAANI.Amid a growing water crisis, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board launched the app on Thursday, empowering citizens to flag water wastage and earn incentives for verified complaints. The app will allow users to upload photographs of violations, including the use of potable water to wash vehicles, overflowing storage tanks and the unauthorised use of water connections.Water board officials said complaints submitted through the app would be routed directly to the concerned officials for verification and follow-up action. Consumers found guilty of water wastage will face penalties ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. Complainants will also receive incentives for every verified complaint. Interested citizens can register as water volunteers through the official HMWSSB website.Launching the PAANI app, transport minister and Hyderabad in-charge Ponnam Prabhakar urged citizens, govt employees, youth, colony welfare association members and representatives of voluntary organisations to register as water volunteers and help monitor water wastage in their neighbourhoods.“Residents who notice drinking water being wasted or misused can report such instances through the PAANI app. Officials will verify the complaints and take appropriate action. The contributions of volunteers actively involved in water conservation will be recognised and encouraged. Water conservation should not be the sole responsibility of the government but a social responsibility of every citizen, particularly amid depleting groundwater reserves and the possibility of El Niño affecting water availability,” Prabhakar said.Urging households, hotels, hospitals, lodges and commercial establishments to review their water consumption, Prabhakar said drinking water should not be wasted on activities such as washing vehicles and cleaning floors when alternatives were available.