17 new STPs to lead to a cleaner Hussainsagar

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will construct 17 new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with a combined capacity of 376.5 MLD in Hyderabad in the catchment area of Hussainsagar lake. The constructions have been taken up in order to augment the capacity of sewage treatment in the city and to cut down water pollution due to contamination with untreated sewage water. A Government Order was issued on September 11 in this regard, sanctioning `512.35 crore, which is 40 per cent of the total estimated cost of Rs 1,280.87 crore. The cost is comparatively high as the new STPs are to be constructed in the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

This information was presented by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) in its compliance report to the National Green Tribunal, on steps taken by the Telangana government for treatment of sewage that flows into the Musi river, in response to a petition on the poor condition of the river.  The TSPCB also submitted in its report that the sewage treatment capacity of each of the three STPs located near KIMS Hospital, Khairatabad and Ranganadhamuni lake would be doubled from 30 MLD to 60 MLD, from 20 MLD to 40 MLD and from 5 MLD to 10 MLD respectively.

Apart from this, the Water Board would also construct, as part of two packages, eight STPs with a combined capacity of 402.5 MLD and six STPs with a capacity of 480.5 MLD.The TSPCB also submitted that until the year 2036, the Water Board plans to construct a total of 62 STPs in Greater Hyderabad limits, with a combined capacity of 2,057 MLD. The current capacity of all functional STPs in Greater Hyderabad stands at 772 MLD. The STPs are part of a ‘Sewerage Master Plan,’ spreading across a length of 2,676.15 km at a cost of `4783.78 crore. As per the TSPCB report, installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) in all existing STPs would be completed by the end of November. The State government has also identified 27 drains along the Musi for taking up phytoremediation.