90-day special drive on sewage management and rainwater harvest pits in city from Oct 2 

Mission of the drive is to find a permanent solution to the persistent problems of water scarcity and verflowing sewage, says HMWSSB chief

Groundwater augmentation and efficient sewage management as the twin goals, to make Hyderabad clean and water-rich, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will begin its 90-day special drive starting Wednesday (October 2).

Sharing the Board’s plan on Friday, Managing Director Ashok Reddy said the October-December drive is a priority goal of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The mission will be to find a permanent solution to the persistent problems of water scarcity and overflowing sewage.

Speaking at the workshop on the special drive, attended by senior-most chief general managers to local unit managers, Mr. Reddy said that on any given day majority of the complaints related to sewage. He said that nearly 40% of these complaints could be reduced, if resolutions are found in the special drive, including field-level awareness about sewage management.

While the record-breaking dependence on water tankers in the summer this year directly points to the depleting groundwater table, it is also true that areas where rainwater harvesting pits were efficiently used the water levels have risen, he said.

According to Executive Director Mayank Mittal, the performance of HMWS&SB is best evaluated by the public and consumers by how efficiently the drinking water supply and sewage is managed at the field-level, and not by the big projects the Board executes. He placed his confidence in the performance of field-level staff and officials on the success of the three-month special drive.

Senior officials V. L. Praveen Kumar and Jala Satyanarayana explained the strategy and measures for the special drive through a presentation.

Published - September 27, 2024 09:19 pm IST