HYDERABAD: As much as 3,185 km of sewerage pipelines were desilted across 24,146 areas and 2.50 lakh manholes were cleaned in the 180-day special drive, conducted in two phases by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to make Hyderabad free from sewerage overflow.
According to officials, the drive, which began on October 2, 2024, continued uninterrupted across the city until March 30. This initiative led to a 20-30% reduction in daily sewage complaints. The first phase of the drive concluded on December 31, 2024. Impressed with the outcome, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed officials to extend the drive for another 90 days.
Speaking on the occasion, HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy emphasised that this achievement was possible only through the collective efforts of officials and the staff and asserted that the team would work even harder in the coming days. He also urged that the remaining manholes be desilted by June 2025.
To implement the drive, sewerage complaints from the past three years were analysed. The primary issues identified were blockages in residential areas and sewerage overflow on roads, which accounted for 60% of daily complaints.
A special dashboard was also created for daily monitoring of the drive’s progress. Complaints related to sewage overflow, polluted water and silt accumulation on roads were logged using Google Maps and GPS tracking. Each complaint, along with its unique CAN number, was recorded and displayed as a ‘bubble on the map’, allowing officials to prioritise and resolve issues based on severity.