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Hyderabad : Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed officials to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to Hyderabad and make treated wastewater mandatory for non-potable uses from Nov 1, as the state seeks to strengthen water security amid concerns over future demand and the impact of El Niño.
In a significant policy move, the chief minister ordered officials to incorporate mandatory use of treated water in construction activities as part of the building permission approval process, with strict implementation to begin from Nov 1. During the meeting, water board officials informed the chief minister that treated water from 26 STPs is currently being supplied through green tankers.
They said the treated water is provided free of cost, with users required to bear only transportation charges. At a review meeting on sewage treatment plants (STPs) and utilisation of treated water, the chief minister stressed the need for long-term planning to meet Hyderabad’s growing water requirements. He instructed civic bodies in the core urban region area to ensure treated water is used for landscaping and other non-drinking purposes across government establishments, including the state secretariat, chief minister’s camp office, metro rail facilities, railway premises, data centres and other major institutions. The chief minister called for the use of artificial intelligence to improve the functioning and oversight of STPs. He assigned HYDRAA the responsibility of monitoring plant operations and asked officials to introduce a tracking system for tankers transporting treated water.