Telangana Govt out to implement norms to promote water neutrality: KTR

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, KT Rama Rao, announced the government’s commitment to implementing regulations that promote net water neutrality in buildings, specifically high-rise residential and commercial structures. The regulations would make wastewater recycling and reuse, as well as the installation of dual piping systems, mandatory. He made this announcement during the World Environment Day celebrations held at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), where he also sought cooperation from the institution.

To support these initiatives, the government has invited tenders for the establishment of Scientific Processing Units in 130 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on a Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) basis. These units will be grouped into nine clusters, with a combined capacity of 2,974 tons per day (TPD).

The compost and the bailed dry Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) produced in these units will be sold to industries tied up with the agencies responsible for the processing, thereby reducing the financial burden on the ULBs.

Additionally, he highlighted the State’s plans to promote wastewater recycling in Hyderabad through the introduction of a new policy. Collaborating with ASCI, the government aims to establish a circular economy hub at the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) office.

This hub will focus on resource efficiency, decarbonizing the economy, and climate change mitigation.

Addressing waste management, Minister Rama Rao mentioned the establishment of 1,962 Reduces Reuse Recycle (RRR) centers in 142 ULBs.

These centers collect various used products, such as plastic items, old books, clothes, and footwear, with over 200 metric tons of items already collected since May 20.

The collected products will be refurbished, reused, or transformed into new items. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has deployed 4,500 Swachh Auto Tippers (SAT) to segregate high-value dry recyclables, such as HDPE, cardboard, old newspapers, and PET, which are then sold to Dry Resource Collection Centers (DRCCs) or scrap dealers. Paper and cardboard are also collected by ITC through DRCCs established under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Approximately 190 tons of recyclable materials are diverted daily for recycling within Hyderabad.

Minister Rama Rao mentioned that a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant with a capacity of 24 MW is fully operational in Jawaharnagar, Hyderabad, processing around 1,500 metric tons of RDF daily.

The minister also proudly acknowledged the various awards received by the government for its efforts in environmental conservation and sustainable practices.