HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the civic body which oversees Hyderabad, was certified Water Plus by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Friday, becoming the first urban local body (ULB) in Telangana to achieve this feat.
The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched by MoHUA in 2014, provides certification to cities ranging from Open Defecation Free (ODF), ODF+, ODF++ and Water Plus.
The Water Plus certification achieved by GHMC was partly due to the establishment of 25 Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) maintained by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and three STPs by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) where the waste water released from households and commercial establishments is treated effectively in all STPs to a satisfactory level before discharging the treated waste water.
For the Water Plus certification, a city needs to ensure that a minimum of 25 per cent of the treated water is reused. The treated STP water is majorly utilised for agriculture in the downstream of River Musi, in parks, public toilets, other agricultural needs, and for the construction of roads and other structures. This is in line with the government’s focus on water conservation and reuse in consonance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on clean water and sanitation.
This Water Plus certification is given to cities that achieves safe, sustainable sanitation for all by ensuring that no untreated wastewater is discharged into waterbodies, ensuring adequate capacity of sewage treatment facilities apart from using the treated and recycled water.
Certification criteria
For the ODF tag, a civic body needs to ensure 100 per cent accessibility of toilet facilities to everyone. ODF+ is given when there is proper maintenance of toilets by ensuring basic facilities like running water and cleanliness by connecting to sewer networks. ODF++ is given when solid and liquid waste management (STPs) is established.