Kamareddy: Effluent becomes a commodity

Kamareddy: Ever heard of conducting auction for sewage water? It happens every year in Domakonda village in Kamareddy district.Nothing is useless in nature, especially when it comes to water and at a time when the entire country is staring at a deepening water crisis.

Domakonda is severely affected by drought for a long time. For the past two years, deficit rainfall had completely dried up groundwater here. The farmers here mostly rely on bore water but even after digging more than 10 borewells they are not getting water. This acute water crisis led them to use sewage water, which all consider as waste.

They have been conducting auction for the sewage water for the past ten years.The villagers dug a big trench on the outskirts of the village and transport sewage water to this trench.This the auction bid started from Rs 5,000 and the highest bidder, Kashi Reddy, a farmer, who had bid for Rs 33,000, got the rights of the water.

Domakonda Sarpanch said that the drainage water from the households of all the residents will be dumped in the trench. From there, all the farmers will use the water for cultivation.

The farmers said they know farming only and left with no choice except using the wastewater. "It's not that easy to use this water. We got infected and developed skin diseases after using the sewage water." they added.