Hyderabad gets ₹5,000-cr urban infra booster

In a major boost to urban infrastructure in and around the Hyderabad city, the State government has approved two mega projects worth over ₹5,000 crore through two separate orders covering drinking water and sewerage infrastructure within Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA) limits. Once completed, Hyderabad would emerge as the only city in the country to achieve 100% sewage treatment, said Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao. He added that 31 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) would be established in addition to the existing 25 STPs, at an estimated cost of ₹3,866.21 crore. The second project costing ₹1,200 crore involves the HMWSSB constructing additional service reservoirs for 137 MLD and lay a new pipeline network covering about 2,100 km to supply adequate drinking water to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Gram Panchayats (not just falling under ORR limits but also beyond GHMC limits), and the projects would be completed in two years. The existing 25 STPs are treating 772 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage of the 1,650 MLD generated in GHMC limits. This amounts to 46.78% treatment of sewage. Once the 31 new STPs become operational, it will aid in the treatment of 1,950 MLD including 1,650 MLD generated in GHMC limits and 300 MLD in ORR areas and would meet the sewage treatment requirements for the next 10 years. The project will be taken up under the hybrid annuity model, under which the State government will bear 40% of the project cost and the remaining will be borne by contracting agencies.