HYDERABAD: There’s an urgent need to systematically review and redesign not only the water resupply distribution system but also the sewerage system as a whole including the stormwater drainage network said the chairman of Institution of Engineers (India), Telangana State Centre, G Rameshwar Rao.
Rao, who is also the former HMWSSB director, said that the system needs improvement primarily due to the changed rainfall pattern both in its intensity and duration. In addition to formulating an action plan for the upgrade, there is an effective need to restore the flood retention capacity of all existing water bodies through desilting and raising of bunds, he said.
Quality of water bodies
Proper sewerage systems, that are connected to various Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), are present only in some parts of the city. Sewage continues to be directly released into the water bodies mainly the Musi River without treatment. Rameshwar Rao has proposed to improve the water supply distribution, sewerage and stormwater systems in Hyderabad to maintain the quality of water bodies.
The HMWSSB is treating about 750 MLD of sewage waste via the existing STPs. The chairman added that 100 per cent treatment capacity has to be achieved in terms of sewage networks. Further, these networks need to be strengthened in the core and peripheral areas of the city, he said. These measures would ideally help meet the GHMC’s water requirements in the future. He further said that to accelerate the pace of work active support from all stakeholders was imperative.
21 cities in the country would run out of water by the year 2020 and encounter a ‘day zero’ when most
of the taps in the city would have to be switched off for a day
Water Leadership and Conservation primarily aims to turn Hyderabad into a water-secure city. It encourages people to reduce wastage and ensure recharge of groundwater Working on individual, familial & communal behaviors can help save 20 MGD of water under WaLC.
At present, the Greater Hyderabad mainly receives 2,068 MLD water from Rivers Krishna and the Godavari. The water board is planning to utilise new sources to meet future requirements Keshavapuram in Shamirpet and Devallamma Nagaram at Malkapurto