Water Board lets sewage flow into city lakes

Hyderabad: Contamination of water bodies in the Greater Hyderabad limits will remain a big problem as the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has not prepared any plan to establish Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs). The existing capacity of the STPs was treating only 590 MLD, out of the total 1350 MLD sewerage released every day. According to the water board officials, the city is in dire need of new STPs that can treat at least 700 MLD.

A water board official told The Hans India that the untreated water from HMWS&SB had been contaminating every water body in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. “The government is busy bringing drinking water through Krishna phase I, II, III and Godavari phase I to the city without improving the sewerage system,” he said.

He felt that the government had failed miserably in making alternative plans for improving the sewerage network in the city and added that the government should make subsequent plans for STPs when they had decided to bring river water to Hyderabad.

The HMWS&SB, to establish new STPs, had drafted plans and sent them to the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) to improve the sewerage system. But, it did not receive any grants from NRCD, the official added.

The official admitting that the HMWS&SB was responsible for contamination of water bodies in the city said, “The nalas in the city have turned in to sewerage carriers and the lakes have become sewerage ponds (oxidation plant).”

He further admitted that the sewerage system in the city was a major cause for the Musi river contamination. “Over 50 downstream villages of the Musi River have been with the less treated sewerage released into the Musi,” he said.

People in the villages were living in perpetual fear as they were already reeling under the effect of pollutants from the Musi. In several villages, vegetable cultivation had been stopped, he added.

“Due to the city sewerage, the downstream villages including Chotuppal, Bhongir, Hayatnagar, Ghatkesar, Bibinagar, Ramayanpet, Suryapet, Edulabad, Pochampally and scores of other villages, which once used Musi river water for drinking are now living in perpetual fear," the official informed.

The senior official felt that the situation would turn from bad to worse if the government further delayed the establishment of STPs in the city. He also expressed displeasure over the State government’s attitude towards improving sewerage system.

With the growing needs of the city, the government should work with a vision, he said and requested the citizens to conserve as much water as possible. There are four STPs in the GHMC limits at Attapur, Nallacheruvu, Nagole and Amberpet.

Raju Vegesna Foundation donates 5 cr

INSTALLATION OF WATER TREATMENT PLANTS

Raju Vegesna Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, established by noted entrepreneur Raju Vegesna, has come forward to establish water treatment plants in all leading temples in the State. This includes Yadadri, Bhadrachalam, Basar, Vemulawada, Kaleshwaram, Warangal Bhadrakali temples, to name a few.

Also the foundation has expressed its willingness to fund for construction of Anna Prasadam complex at Yadadri, besides the water treatment plant. A delegation, led by Raju Vegesna, met Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at the Camp Office and handed over Rs 5 crore cheque for this purpose.

The foundation members told the Chief Minister that they also wanted to install water treatment plants in Endowments Bhavan at Abids, Osmania University, Chanchalguda Jail, Salarjung Museum, CID office as well as Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills police stations. Further similar plants would be established in various villages of Karimnagar and Warangal districts. It may be mentioned here that Raju Vegesna Foundation provided Rs 21 crore for Annadana Satram in Tirumala, apart from donating Rs 15 crore for a hospital at Dwaraka Tirumala.

By Maddy Deekshith