The Telangana government and the Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA) limits have approved two mega drinking water and sewerage infrastructure projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore. Once achieved, Hyderabad would rise as the only city in the nation to attain 100% sewage treatment. KT Rama Rao, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, while addressing a media conference, said that the two mega projects would get completed in two years, and 31 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) would be installed in addition to the present 25 STPs, at an estimated cost of Rs 3,866.21 crore. The second project worth Rs 1,200 crore covers the HMWSSB constructing additional service reservoirs for 137 MLD and laying a new pipelines network including nearly 2,100 km to supply sufficient water to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Gram Panchayats coming under ORR limits but beyond GHMC limits. The current 25 STPs are treating 772 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage of the 1,650 MLD produced in GHMC limits. It amounts to 46.78% treatment of sewage. Once the 31 new STPs are functional, it will assist in treating 1,950 MLD sewage covering 1,650 MLD produced in GHMC limits and 300 MLD generated in ORR areas. It would satisfy the sewage treatment needs for the coming ten years. The project would be taken up in a hybrid annuity mode, under which the State government will bear 40% of the project cost, and the remaining will be supported by contracting agencies. This model is being executed in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Enhancing the efforts to grow sewerage infrastructure, the government will also give top priority to adequate drinking water supply to the fringe areas under ORR limits. After State formation, HMWSSB executed a project to supply water to 190 villages located beyond GHMC limits and within the ORR area for Rs 756.56 crore. The minister noted that the colonies in Gramakanta of villages were not included in the project. With many residential colonies’ associations requesting drinking water supply, the government passed the Rs 1,200 crore project. Under this project, two lakh new connections will be provided, and around 20 lakh families will benefit from this. Image SourceAlso read: Trial run for Thiruverumbur water supply improvement scheme begins