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Hyderabad , Oct. 6

THE Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) is gearing to take up the River Musi conservation project, which would involve installing five sewerage treatment plants and recharge of acquifers, according to its Commissioner, Ms Chitra Ramachandran.

The river, which once ran across the walled city, has been reduced considerably in size and needs large-scale conservation efforts to revive it. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority and the MCH have to undertake various aspects of the programme, she said.

Speaking at a symposium on Water and Sanitation for Cities, organised by the Administrative Staff College of India on the occasion of the World Habitat Day, she said garbage disposal had emerged as a major challenge. "We need to segregate garbage, recycle it and finally put the remaining in landfills, to tackle it".

Inaugurating the symposium, Mr K. Kosal Ram, former Secretary, Urban Development, under the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation said there has been a rapid collapse of water and sanitation infrastructure in several places.

Hence, it was necessary to review and come up with appropriate strategies to cope with increasing pressure on the existing facilities and create new ones. Water development mechanisms also need to be looked into, he added.

The Managing Director of HMWSSB, Mr G.S. Gopal, said about Rs 25 crore was being spent by the MCH for taking care of water and sanitation needs of the slum areas in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Delivering a special address, Mr Ramanath Jha, Regional Adviser of the Urban Management Project, South Asia, said space constraints and growing volumes of garbage in urban areas pose newer challenges. He cited the example of Nasik, which had got rid of all garbage bins in the city and instead ensured collection of solid wastes from individual homes. Though the Centre had made rainwater harvesting compulsory in new structures, its implementation left much to be desired, he said.

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