Full-fledged underground drainage system planned for city: KTR

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao said on Tuesday that the State government is planning to spend Rs 3,700 crore on developing an underground drainage system.

Responding to a question in the Legislative Council, he said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has been formed merging the adjacent municipal areas like Seri Lingampally, Malkajgiri, Uppal and others where there exists no underground drainage system. "The underground drainage system exists only in earlier municipal areas of the city. During last year, the government spent Rs 2,100 crore to provide drinking water facilities to solve the problem in saturation mode".

"This was satisfactorily resolved in areas merged in GHMC. Now, following the same method, the government has decided to develop underground drainage to completely eliminate open nalas in the city. However, the objective is not to execute the project in a piecemeal manner, but to executive it in saturation mode to develop a full underground sewerage system", he added.

KTR stated that the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) has a definite objective and defined scope to improve the nala grid within the ORR. For this, a comprehensive study is being carried out duly mapping existing nalas and recent submerged in the city. The total primary drains are assessed as 173 km finalising the list under phase-1 of implementation. It was to take up and complete at least 30 per cent of stormwater drainage network before the next monsoon season.

"The GHMC in consultation with M/s NCPE Infra Consultant prioritised list, duly taking into consideration the ground position in consultation with GHMC officers and also from Kirloskar and Voyants."

He said unlike earlier, the GHMC zonal commissioner will take up desilting work. The tenders of phase 1 of NDP is under process.