In a monumental infrastructure push, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is gearing up for its most significant expansion yet. This follows the state government's approval to merge 27 surrounding municipalities with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The board is now drafting a comprehensive, citywide sewerage master plan to serve the vastly expanded metropolitan area, which will sprawl across nearly 2,000 square kilometers.
A Colossal Sewerage Network Overhaul
Officials have revealed that the sewerage system component alone will require a staggering investment of over Rs 20,000 crore. This colossal sum will fund a complete overhaul, including laying thousands of kilometers of new trunk mains, constructing new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), establishing pumping stations, creating feeder lines, and upgrading aging pipelines.
HMWSSB Managing Director, Ashok Reddy, informed that most of the incoming municipalities currently lack a proper underground sewer network. With the merger, the board faces the herculean task of building approximately 4,500 km of new sewer lines while simultaneously modernizing the existing infrastructure within the older city limits.
The new master plan will prioritize areas with no existing sewer network. It also mandates extensive repairs and replacements for worn-out pipelines and upgrades to pumping stations. A critical objective is to prevent raw sewage from flowing into lakes and nalas (drains) in the newly added areas. To achieve this, a network of new lateral, branch, and trunk sewers will be laid across the expanded GHMC territory.
Revised Plan for a Larger Metropolis
This fresh master plan supersedes one prepared just four years ago, which covered areas up to the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and estimated costs at Rs 17,000 crore. "But with the addition of 27 municipalities, a fresh master plan is being prepared," stated MD Ashok Reddy. "An agency has been appointed, and the revised plan will be ready in five months."
Drinking Water Supply to Get a Major Boost
On the drinking water front, the challenge is equally immense. The HMWSSB currently supplies 550 million gallons per day (MGD). However, to adequately serve the expanded Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR), an additional 150 MGD will be required.
Officials confirmed that this enhanced supply is contingent on the completion of the Godavari drinking water supply project's Phase II and III. These critical phases, with a combined cost of over Rs 7,300 crore, are already underway and slated for completion within the next two years.
"Once done, we can supply water to all new municipalities," Ashok Reddy explained. "With upgrades to the Manjeera and Singur systems, our aim is to provide daily water supply instead of the current alternate-day schedule."
The city's population is projected to soar to 1.5 crore (15 million) post-merger, leading to a sharp spike in water demand. To proactively bridge this impending gap, the water board has already submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the state government. This report outlines the comprehensive needs for both the drinking water and sewerage networks in the newly forged Greater Hyderabad.
