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Hyderabad , Dec. 25

A massive Rs 6,200-crore plan to strengthen the sewerage network in the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) area and 10 adjoining municipalities is on the anvil. While Rs 1,800 crore was required for the MCH area, about Rs 4,400 crore was estimated for the 10 municipalities.

Disclosing this here on Thursday, Mr B.V. Mohan Reddy, Minister for Municipal Administration, said that the existing network covered only 62 per cent of the MCH area, leaving a yawning gap. "The system is overloaded thanks to the growth of population over the years," he said.

Keeping in view the needs of the city by 2021, the Mumbai-based consultant AIC Ltd prepared a Sewerage Master Plan covering an area of 351.63 sq. km. "A plan covering all the 10 adjoining municipalities is under preparation by Mumbai-based MWH India Pvt Ltd. The report will be ready by 2004," the Minister said.

Under the plan prepared way back in 1994, works costing Rs 150 crore would be taken up on 17 sewers covering a length of 65 km. "Piped water is often getting polluted due to frequent choking and overflows of sewage.

The works, categorised as Priority I works, will take care of the problem," he said. In the Priority II works, required to be taken up by 2011, about 150-km-long trunk sewers would be upgraded with an amount of Rs 550 crore. The third category, Priority III works, would cover 178 km-long main sewers, costing Rs 750 crore. The improvements required to be completed by 2021 are bracketed in the category.

Mr Reddy, accompanied by his senior ministerial colleagues Mr T. Devender Goud and Mr K. Vijayarama Rao, laid the foundation stone for the trunk sewerage lines from Tarnaka to Nallacheruvu, connecting Nacharam and Chilkanagar.

"The population of the city is expected to cross the one-crore mark by 2021, which calls for efforts to improve the sewerage system," Mr G. Gopal, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, said.

Asking the people to contribute to the project launched at Tarnaka, he told them to follow the true spirit of public-private participation.

Mr Goud, Minister for Home, regretted that despite witnessing a rapid growth the twin cities and the surrounding areas lacked proper drainage system. "There is no assured drinking water supply, too. This is causing serious problems to the people living down the Musi river basin, for no fault of theirs," he said.

Referring to the project to fetch Krishna waters to the twin cities, he said the Government could mobilise resources from various sources in no time.

"We were advised against taking World Bank loan, which carried several riders. Instead, we preferred to go for alternative funding and could mobilise resources in no time," he said.

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