TWRDC chief sounds alarm bell over growing slums in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation (TWRDC) Chairman V Prakash said a team of 10 dedicated people are enough to make a difference to hygiene and sanitation scenario and to change it for the better.

Prakash, one of the co-founders of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and its official spokesperson till recently, was addressing a mixed crowd of school students, teachers, slum society representatives and civil society workers at a consultative workshop on 'Apna Hyderabad – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Concerns, in Hyderabad on Friday.

"One-third of Hyderabad lives in nearly 1,600 slums under wretched conditions," he said. Migrants make up bulk of its population according to a recent count, he said. Around 30 lakhs have moved to Hyderabad from various Telangana districts and around 5-6 lakh from all parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Detailing the various health hazards, they face, both known and unknown, including the widespread existence of e-coli bacteria in their living spaces, Prakash said that despite such a terrible situation slums are growing at the rate of 264 per cent annually within the city.

"Improving immunity, better sanitation and ensuring availability of enough oxygen to breathe freely is everyone's responsibility," he said.

As far as water situation is concerned, he gave an overview of the global scenario prevalent and said India has not been blessed by nature as much as Brazil has been. "Adequate rainfall is not the issue, efficient management of water is," he said.

Jointly organised by Centre for Action Research and Peoples' Development (CARPED) and UK-based WaterAid, the workshop had drawn up a detailed agenda for a half-day session in which other lecture sessions were by Telangana Press Academy Chairman Allam Narayana and Laxman Aelay, renowned painter. Four different posters on the workshop theme were also released on this occasion.

Narayana pointed out that like everywhere else our city too is under an assault of divisive politics and cultural supremacy which is putting a question mark on what constitutes Hyderabad today.

Rampant commercialisation, real estate mafia and the unbridled growth of pharmaceutical companies have all done great damage to the health and sanitation of the residents, he said. He lamented that despite being a modern addition to the city, the western region housing IT offices and skyscrapers have appalling drainage and water connections, severely impacting the inmates.

M Bharath Bhushan, Secretary, CARPED shared a few highlights of the pilot study undertaken in 10 different slums of the city and said that the situation is far from satisfactory on many fronts including hygiene and sanitation.

Rajesh Rangarajan, Regional Manager, WaterAid introduced his organisation and the various initiatives it has taken up in 50 districts of the country, including Telangana. A dance presentation by Government School, Regimental Bazar was a key component of the programme.