Like many other critical environmental issues, the KCR government has also failed to tackle the enormous problem of sewage treatment in the state, exposing the urban and rural populations to grave health risks. The measures taken by the state government have proved to be grossly inadequate and huge volumes of untreated industrial and municipal waste continue to flow into the lakes, drains, and rivers polluting the air and sources of our daily drinking water supply.
In many places, the government is also dumping the sewage in the rural areas threatening the health of the rural populations and the fertile soil. Even the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has castigated the Telangana government for being a habitual offender in terms of sewage disposal.
According to a report, the urban population in Hyderabad is expected to grow to15.05 crore by 2021, nearly double the figure in 2011. With it will grow the problem of sewage management. The pace at which the KCR government is setting up facilities for sewage treatment, the state is expected to face a catastrophic situation.
By 2021, sewage generated in urban areas is estimated to gallop to 10342 million liters per day (MLD) from 2599 MLD as in 2011. The shortfall in sewage generation and treatment facilities is expected to increase manifold from 1400 MLD in 2011. The lack of foresight in the KCR government is also quite evident from the fact that even the existing sewage treatment plants have been left redundant, because of which the industrial waste getting mixed with the normal municipal waste for which the STPs are not geared. #KhabarLive
