Hyderabad: A Secunderabad resident's legal fight against sewage contamination on her property led to significant action by the Secunderabad Cantonment Board and Telangana Pollution Control Board following the intervention of the National Green Tribunal.
The collected sewage is now diverted through a newly-constructed ring sewer to the Patigadda sewage treatment plant. The issue, which surfaced in 2022, revolved around the drainage of sewage into the land and open well of MS Tejashwari in Trimulgherry, leading to severe pollution.
Tejashwari filed a petition with NGT Chennai, alleging that sewage from nearby residential areas was being discharged into her land and well and polluting the water. Based on NGT's directives, SCB and PCB implemented a series of measures to address the issue.
SCB said that sewage entering the petitioner's land was stopped and a 20 KL sewage collection sump was constructed. The remediation included removing sewage-contaminated water from the open well and addressing sediment contamination using earthmoving equipment. Officials said that while significant progress was made, the high yield rate of the well delayed the complete removal of bottom sediment.
Water samples collected on Nov 25 showed improvement in quality. SCB also completed civic works to divert sewage away from the nearby Trimulgherry lake.
SCB urged the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to assess the cost of land remediation due to prolonged sewage exposure. While awaiting NEERI's response, SCB officials pledged regular monitoring to ensure no further sewage enters the petitioner's property or the lake.
Cantonment board stand
SCB had earlier contended that the land in question, classified as B-2, was under the management of the state govt. The board alleged that previous drainage plans were obstructed by Tejashwari and her family, leading to stagnation near the northeast corner of her land. Several legal disputes followed, including cases in Telangana high court, which initially directed both parties to maintain the status quo.
After NGT ordered SCB to furnish an additional action plan, SCB entrusted the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board with executing diversion and rejuvenation works for Trimulgherry lake and surrounding areas.
SCB deposited Rs 2.9 crore with HMWS&SB for phase-I works, which included diverting sewage to Patigadda STP. Phase-II, involving land acquisition for constructing a new STP, is under way.