The Hindu : Front Page : Proper drainage system for Charminar constituency

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
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Proper drainage system for Charminar constituency

J.S. Ifthekhar

Hyderabad: Overflowing drains in the old city will be a thing of the past in the days to come. For the first time, houses in Charminar Assembly constituency will have proper connection to underground drainage network. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has decided to implement the long pending Master Plan of 1994 covering the twin cities in a phased manner at a cost of Rs. 2,000 crore.

To begin with, the Master Plan will be implemented in 20 sq. km area under the Charminar Assembly segment.

Tenders have been called for the Rs.150-crore package. The last date for receipt of tenders is June 30. The work is expected to commence in July or August and will be completed over the next three years.

Two components

The package has two components. The first is to provide new underground connection in areas where the network does not exist and second is to replace the network where it has become old. At least 6 sq. km area in Charminar will get new drainage network, said HMWSSB managing director, K.S. Jawahar Reddy.

At present, most of the houses in the old city are connected to stormwater drains. Except in the rainy season, the stormwater drains are not supposed to carry ‘dry weather’ flow. As a first priority of the Master Plan, the Board has been laying trunk sewers in the city at a cost of Rs. 150 crore during the last three years. Barring a few areas this work is almost complete.

The drainage network is a maze of criss-crossing lateral lines emanating from houses joining sub branches and then merging into branches and connecting to trunk sewers and outfall sewers near the STPs.

More segments

The State Government has also approved a Rs. 250-crore package to lay underground drainage in Chandrayangutta and Yakutpura Assembly segments. A detailed project report is being prepared and then it will be posed to the Government of India. The latter will share 35 per cent of the project cost.

Meanwhile, Hyderabadis are in for a fresh round of massive road cutting. The Board is in the process of seeking permission from the traffic police and the GHMC to start the work.

The inconvenience is unavoidable but Dr. Jawahar Reddy promises to make it as hassle-free as possible.

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