Include sanitation issue in political manifesto

A bottle of black powder neatly placed in the corner table in the office of the Srinivas Chary Vedala, Director - Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance & Infrastructure Development, ASCI, is what he first shows to visitors and says it was once faecal sludge but now is material that is used to make bricks for the construction industry. He now wants all political parties to include sanitation as a major issue in their manifesto

What is the state of affairs as far as sanitation is concerned in Hyderabad?

It is dismal. What one notices today is thanks to the sewerage system that was developed before Indian independence. After 1947 there has been haphazard development and the city is bursting at the seams. There is a need for all political parties, irrespective of their ideology to include and give top priority to sanitation, lest it leads to an epidemic.

Is it that alarming?

More than half of the city does not have an underground drainage system which means the faecal matter is being transported in tankers which is ending up in water bodies.

What is the way out?

There are cost-effective solutions. The Telangana government is keen and as a pilot project we have set up a plant in Warangal and we are reaping good results. After the faecal sludge is recycled, the matter can be used to make bricks and also to enrich the soil for agriculture. In Hyderabad too, the STPs are being connected so that the faecal matter is treated. There is still a long way to go but a beginning has been made.

Political parties do speak about sanitation

They do speak but not to the desired level. They only talk when there is an issue. The need of the hour is to make it a political plank and involve every stake holder. Here every citizen too is a stakeholder. For every party member and every politician, the pledge should be 'Right to Safe Sanitation." Sanitation is the most basic need for all citizens.