Activist seeks clarity on Musi Rejuvenation Project as RTI reveals existing STP network
HYDERABAD: An RTI application filed by Hyderabad-based activist Kareem Ansari with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has revealed that multiple Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are already operational along the Musi River, even as critical questions about their current utilisation and future under the much-publicised Musi River rejuvenation project remain unanswered.
HMWSSB provided the RTI response. The board currently treats sewage at sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Amberpet (339 MLD and 212.5 MLD), Nagole (172 MLD and 320 MLD), Nallacheruvu (30 MLD and 86.5 MLD), and Attapur (51 MLD, 23 MLD, 64 MLD, and 40 MLD).
The board said treated water is released into the Musi River according to Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) standards. Industrial waste disposal is handled by the TGPCB.
However, the board confirmed that there is no further treatment of water in Hyderabad beyond what the STPs handle before discharge into the Musi. No additional treatment is done before the water enters the river.
The board said it monitors parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, total suspended solids (TSS), fecal coliform, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4-N), and total phosphorus (TP) in sewage before and after treatment.
The board did not answer all of Ansari’s questions. When asked about plans for new sewage treatment plants along the Musi, the board replied, “At present, no such proposals, and will be taken up as per future requirement.”
Speaking to HyderbadMail, Ansari says the findings reveal a troubling lack of transparency in planning for the Musi River Rejuvenation Project. “My RTI findings show that several sewage treatment plants already exist along the Musi River, yet critical questions remain about their current use and future under the Musi River Rejuvenation Project,” Ansari said. “Before spending public money on new infrastructure, the government should disclose how the existing treatment plants will be upgraded, integrated, or protected from becoming stranded assets.”
His concern centres on a common pitfall in large infrastructure projects, where new facilities are built without accounting for existing ones, leaving public funded assets underused or obsolete.
The Musi River runs through the heart of Hyderabad and has long received untreated or partially treated sewage. Its rejuvenation is a political and environmental issue. The state government has announced big plans to restore the river, but civil society groups and activists say the public needs more transparency about how funds will be used.
