Jawahar Nagar is a village located in Medchal district, which falls under Shamirpet mandal. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has its dumpsite located in this village and about 3500 metric tons of waste generated in Hyderabad is disposed over here on a daily basis.

Drive past Trimulgherry and you start to get a whiff of the stench that awaits you down the road because most of the trucks that transport the garbage, pass through here. Once you reach the suburbs of Kapra, Keesara and Dammaiguda, the filth, insects and stench becomes unbearable. The health of these helpless residents of Jawahar Nagar are clearly at stake.

This dump site has been in active use since a decade and has now reached saturation level. The problems faced by the residents of this locality have been getting worse every year and they have now reached a point where they are afraid to even drink water from their own homes. The air here is impossible to breathe and the ground water has been contaminated by the leachate – the fluid from rotting garbage – that is seeping into the ground and polluting the ground water. Water filled from the taps here have an oily layer on top. Officials from the groundwater directorate claim that the groundwater here is full of harmful chemicals. The amount of Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) in the groundwater present in the water can cause kidney stones and heart diseases. There is also abundance of chemicals such as magnesium, which can cause gastric problems.

The contract of managing this dump site was awarded to the Ramky group which is responsible for carrying out the capping in this area. Capping is a scientific method by which the garbage is covered in such a way that the leachate does not get into the ground, but the contaminated ground water is testimony to the fact that this is not being done. They do not even have a leachate treatment plant that can handle the garbage of this magnitude so the oozing liquid just seeps into the ground. This liquid is so toxic that it dissolves the stones that it comes in contact with, so we can only imagine what it can do to the health of a person. When questioned, both GHMC and Ramky were evasive with their answers.

Ramky has been served a notice by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board for multiple violations of environmental laws and causing health hazards. The state government is thinking of taking over the management of the dump and scrapping their contract after reviewing their MoU.

In addition, the Chief Minister has also instructed the GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar to locate and develop more dumping yards around the city. Since, finding a large land area in Hyderabad district that is at least 200 acres is hard, the government is focusing on the neighboring districts of Ranga Reddy, Medak, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda for creating new dump yards. This is still hard because obviously nobody is interested in having a dump yard close to their locality.

Before any of these actions are implemented, the government needs to check the legalities of the agreement with the Ramky group. It also has to streamline the collection and transportation of garbage. About 2,500 additional rickshaws and vehicles need to be procured for effective transportation of the garbage and the door-to-door, two-bin garbage collection system should be strictly enforced.

Nearby slaughter houses have got into habit of disposing raw animal carcasses without proper treatment. The treatment plant of the Ramky group is unable to treat such waste so the slaughter houses should be made to treat their waste before they pass their garbage to the dump yard.

The GHMC has plans to take over the work of the Ramky group and cap the dump within 102 acres of land earmarked for the same. The area allocated for the active capping is 74.66 acres and passive capping is 28 acres. GHMC will bear the Rs 33.86 crore required for the passive capping and Rs 102.97 crore for the active capping. Once the capping is concluded, the area can be utilized to set up solar or wind power plants.

As much as we blame the state government and the Ramky group for their negligence, we as citizens are equally at fault because we are the ones generating such humongous amounts of garbage. About 3500 tons of garbage is generated every day in Hyderabad. The average adult elephant weighs anything from 3 to 7 tons, so the city of Hyderabad generates garbage equivalent to the weight of 700 elephants every day! Everyone will agree that this is an alarming amount of garbage.

We need to reduce the amount of garbage we produce and reduce the load on the dump yard. This can be achieved in two ways:

1) Reduce the use of plastics and recycle and reuse them as much as possible so that they do not end up in the garbage.

2) Reduce the amount of kitchen garbage by using kitchen scraps to make compost at home. Those with a garden can create a compost pit in one corner of their garden while those living in apartments can use the compact composting bin that is available in the market these days.

It is imperative that private citizens, the government and corporates come together to solve this urgent crisis that is facing Hyderabad today. The health of our citizens and the environment of our beloved city is at stake.

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The city was caught unawares as torrential rains in the evening hours caused havoc on all the residents. Weather experts say that the city witnessed a cloudburst, with many areas of the city recording between 7 cms. and 12 cms. of rainfall that submerged several low-lying colonies. Since it was a public holiday due to Gandhi Jayanthi, the traffic on the roads was much less than normal, yet many people were stuck on the roads for almost four hours. The Punjagutta flyover which connects Begumpet to Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills was knee-deep in water and the whole of Hyderabad was left wondering how a flyover could get flooded. In Banjara Hills, a wall collapsed killing two people, while one person died of electrocution in Hussaini Alam in the old city area.

Climate change has led to a lot of extreme weather with droughts being as severe as the rains, leading to a state of perpetual suffering for the urban population. Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have recently seen many instances of extreme rainfall leading to destructive flooding. Since population and financial investment in these urban areas is so high, being unprepared for such calamities is devastating. Most large cities are unprepared for extreme flooding and while weather reports can predict rain, it cannot give us an accurate account of the  intensity of the rainfall. Scientists are of the opinion that climate change caused by greenhouse gases will cause more high intensity rainfall in future years. Preparing our urban centers for this has become crucial.

City officials say that even though the intensity and impact of excessive rain and flooding cannot be predicted, every city can take measures to prevent flooding from becoming worse. Some points to keep in mind:

Take the 3 Rs seriously: Reduce Recycle Reuse.

Reduce the use of plastics or at least recycle and reuse them instead of throwing them in the garbage. Plastics tend to float and get carried away with the water. They later get mixed with mud and stones and block drains which worsens the flooding situation.

Separate sewage for storm water drains.

Storm water drains also carry sewage sometimes so it becomes difficult to divert excess storm water into lakes. Also, storm water drains should be regularly cleared of solid debris and garbage that can clog them and exacerbate the flooding situation. When there are separate drains for rain water and sewage, rain water can be diverted into lakes without polluting them.

Regular sweeping and appropriate disposal of waste.

Sanitation workers should sweep roads and collect the soil and dead leaves and dispose these in an appropriate manner. Simply sweeping and piling up the waste in small piles serves no purpose and obstructs drains in the rains.

Keep open spaces open.

As far as possible, open spaces should be laid with gravel, grass or loose tiles and not with concrete or tarmac. Regular land is able to absorbs almost 80% of rainwater but urban areas have been cemented and concretised to such an extent that there is little scope of water seeping into the ground and replenishing the groundwater. There are two negative consequences to this: increased flooding and waste of precious rainwater that could have recharged the water table below.

Strict regulation of construction near water bodies.

There should be strict regulation of construction near water bodies. Many buildings in urban areas are encroaching in the spaces of lakes and other water bodies. When it rains heavily, water will inevitably enter houses that have been illegally constructed in these areas.

Without redesigning the existing infrastructure and preparing for extreme weather, India’s cities will continue to suffer the consequences of unrelenting rains and endanger lives and property.

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There are many of these bowlis scattered all over Hyderabad. Enginebowli received its name because the water of this famous well was used to run steam engines. Rethibowli was a sandy well, Gangabowli was a well with steps, while Gachibowli was a limestone well. A lot of these wells no longer exist but the localities still carry the name of these wells.

There are various other famous bowlis present in Hyderabad like the Bum-a-Rukn-ud-Dowla near the zoo. The Neher-e-Hussaini, the queen of all the historic wells of our city, is situated opposite the National Police Academy. The Bibi-ka-Chashma and Rajanna Bowli (which has eight wells inside it) are historic wells near Falaknuma. The famous Golconda fort is home to Doodhbowli while the Government Unani Hospital also has a famous well on its premises.

The Kakatiyas and Nizams understood the importance of wells in a semi-arid place like Hyderabad. With rivers like Godavari and Krishna out of reach and the rocky terrain making waterways and canals difficult, wells were the only source of clean drinking water during that time.

The Kakatiya rulers put a lot of thought into water conservation and storage during their 400 year reign. They built many tanks and lakes downstream from small streams and rivulets to ensure that these tanks were always full. The surrounding spring-fed wells also served to keep these tanks full of water. The area around these wells were well maintained so that people could gather around them and a sense of community was maintained among the people.

The Nizams who ruled later were equally diligent about building and maintaining tanks and wells. It is said that the Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan only drank the local spring water from these wells and carried it where ever he went. They understood the importance of wells as wells not only stored water but they also recharged the ground water below during the monsoon season.

Unfortunately, as Hyderabad continues to grow as a metropolis and land prices increase, many of these water bodies are being encroached upon to create land for office buildings and apartment complexes. At present, many wells all over Hyderabad that were used to supply drinking water during the Nizam’s time have become defunct because people use them to throw trash and other debris. When water collects in them, they breed mosquitoes and snakes. Experts are of the opinion that some of these wells can be used to make  rainwater harvesting pits to recharge the groundwater during the monsoons.

The biggest hurdle facing the revival and maintenance of these ancient wells is that they are not listed in The Heritage Conservation List, which only covers buildings and not water bodies. Even GHMC is clueless about how to preserve these historic water bodies.

An example can be made of the famous Maha Laqa Chanda Bai’s well inside the EFLU Hyderabad campus. It was built during the Asif Jahi period and is around 200 years old. It is a large stepped well and its geometrical design is characteristic of the Nizam period. The EFLU Heritage Well Conservation Committee from EFLU Hyderabad was formed to help preserve and maintain this well after the students send a petition to the president. The heritage well was also enlisted in the state heritage list by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Corporation (HMDC) and Municipal Corporation (MC).

Preservation of these ancient wells are important not only because they help in water conservation but because they are a part of our heritage and we owe it to our future generations. These places can be developed as tourist spots and the money collected from this could be used to maintain them as recharge pits while also preserving a slice of our history.

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Water pumped from bores deeper than 400 feet has a high level of heavy metals like arsenic, iron, fluoride and other nitrates which are extremely poisonous, yet most people are unaware of this fact.

Hyderabad is particularly prone to fluoride poisoning. Some areas in Hyderabad district like Qutubullapur, Dulapally and Nizampet report higher than normal levels of fluoride, while in Ranga Reddy district, Balanagar, Shamshabad and Shamirpet have the highest levels of fluoride. The deeper the bore well, the higher the level of fluoride it contains. In areas that do not get municipal water and rely solely on bore water, this could be dangerous as even a 0.1 increase in fluoride levels is extremely harmful. High levels of fluoride have been known to cause a condition called fluorosis that causes brittle bones and teeth.

Says Anita, a resident of an apartment complex in Miyapur, “We receive two big plastic cans of drinking water every day because our complex still does not receive municipal water. I don’t know where this water comes from but we are forced to drink this.”

It is no secret that most of the drinking water supplied in cans is just filtered bore water. If the source of the water and the method of filtration is unknown, drinking such canned water is questionable. As a matter of fact, even RO purified water is not safe for drinking if the machine is not being serviced and filters are not being replaced regularly.

Another big problem with the water from deep bores is that sometimes this water is very old. Water from aquifers lying deep in the rocks can sometimes be as old as 1500 to 6000 years old. Areas like AS Rao Nagar, Toli Chowki, Banjara Hills, Dollar Hills, Uppal and Habsiguda have produced water as old as 1500 to 2000 years in deep bore wells. It is unclear about the long-term effects of depleting the water from such deep aquifers. When these water sources dry up they do not get recharged because rainwater cannot percolate through solid rock. These deep bores will inevitably run dry in the long term. Ironically, it is the shallow bores that get revitalized during the monsoons and therefore provide safe and fresh drinking water for many years.

It is important for the general population to become aware of the dangers of deep bore water and exercise common sense. Some points to be taken into consideration:

1) Bore wells should not be dug beyond a depth of 300 feet

2) Take the help of an experienced geologist before digging a bore well – These experts are able to locate water with the help of instruments. Many times, if rock is discovered at a depth of about 50-80 feet into the ground, it is uncertain if such a bore will yield water for another 400-500 feet and is probably not worth it in terms of cost and quality of water.

3) A second bore well should not be drilled very near to a dried up bore well – It can collapse due to gravitational pull and earth vibrations. A distance of at least 15 feet from the first well should be maintained.

4) A rainwater harvesting pit can be constructed near a defunct bore well to help recharge it

A pit 3-4 feet in depth and 3 feet by 3 feet in length and breadth should be dug. A layer of sand is poured followed by a layer of small size concrete. This process is repeated till the pit is completely full. During the rainy reason, the rain water gets filtered in the pit before entering the bore well. Many wells with scanty water supply can be improved by this technique.

5) If possible, an open, dug well should be maintained instead of a bore well – This traditional version of a well not only stores water but also recharges the ground water during the rains.

6) Canned water should be tested before consumption – There are many labs around the city that conduct these tests for as low as Rs 790 for raw water testing and Rs 990 for drinking water testing. Online labs like Purityportal will even come to your home to collect the water for testing.

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Hyderabad is a semi-arid area and even the Nizams realized the fact that water was a scarce commodity that needed to be conserved and stored carefully. While the average rainfall in the rest of the country is 100 hours for 100 days, in Hyderabad, it’s 30 hours for 30 days. Yet, this fact has been forgotten with increasing urbanisation. The daily water requirement for Hyderabad now is 650 millions of gallons per day while only 355 million gallons per day is being supplied. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to educate Hyderabadis about the three Rs…namely REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE.

SAHE took up various initiatives last year in order to spread awareness about water conservation and recycling. Specific issues include the rejuvenation of bore wells or “Save 10 K Bores” program, cleaning and desilting of lakes or “Live the Lakes” program and the Stepwell program. Some remedial measures were also identified. 25 lakes were proposed for conservation by desilting and cleaning and connecting some lakes were also suggested. A suggestion that 25% of land should also be left natural without any concrete was also put forth.

SAHE took the responsibility of spreading awareness on various occasions:

Spreading Awareness in CHIREC School:

It is important to educate young children about the ways to conserve and recharge water so that it becomes a part of their life as they grow older. Ms Kalpana Ramesh, a SAHE member and a parent at CHIREC educated the middle-wing students about water scarcity and the importance of rainfall harvesting.

Members of SAHE visited large residential complexes like Raintree Park, Aparna Sarovar and Fortune Towers to spread the message of water conservation. These large residential areas are the largest consumers of water and therefore educating the residents of these places will result in a huge change in water consumption patterns. Rainwater harvesting in these communities is low even though it is easier to monitor and implement ideas in large communities rather than individual houses. The management committees of these communities were urged to build groundwater recharging pits to replenish deep water and install water meters to monitor consumption. Waste water management and recycling of water were also discussed. The communities were also informed about rainwater collection and storage during monsoons as rainwater is pure and should not be wasted.

To propagate the message of rooftop harvesting, SAHE, along with a bunch of enthusiastic interns and volunteers, painted one of the HMWS&SB water tankers in attractive colours to increase awareness among the residents of Hyderabad.

A massive email campaign has been implemented with IT companies, corporates and social media about the importance of recharging bore wells.  A press conference was organized involving experts and community organizations. A website and social media pages were also created.

Future plans:

Moving forward, more awareness campaigns are planned in schools and colleges. Alliances with government organisations like GHMC are being formed to build rainwater harvesting structures in economically weak areas and also to disseminate information on harvesting techniques. Government intervention is also required to impose regulation on water management and encourage large communities to take up rainwater harvesting in earnest.

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Just a few kilometres away, is Mastananagar, a lower middle class area. The situation is even grimmer here. “We get only 2 buckets of water, once in 4 or 5 days,” says Revathi, a domestic helper who lives here. This would not be the situation if residents became aware of how to recharge groundwater and make the most use of rainwater harvesting.

We had the pleasure of meeting one of the members of SAHE (Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour), Ms  Kalpana Ramesh at her lovely, eco-friendly home.

Kalpana has worked extensively on her own house to harness the bounty of the monsoon season. Beneath her lovely garden is hidden a 30000 litre rainwater sump that stores filtered rainwater collected from her rooftop. This water can last to almost a year and is pure enough to be used for drinking purposes. She was kind enough to explain how many of us can stop being dependent on tankers, municipal and bore well water simply by storing rain water during the monsoons.

Harvesting rainwater from rooftops is a fairly uncomplicated, inexpensive procedure. Most houses already have sumps for storing municipal, bore or tanker water. Rainwater is diverted from rooftops to these sumps during monsoons. A separate tank can also be maintained for this purpose. A 5000 litre sump can collect 50mm of rainfall from a 300 sq. meter roof area.

In case of already constructed house, the existing pipes can be used with an additional few for directing water into the sump. In new constructions, 4” to 5” diameter PVC down pipes can be used. This can be done in any kind of residential or office building.

The discharge point in the roof should be connected to the down water pipe. A grill, mesh or floor trap at the discharge point needs to be installed to prevent fallen leaves or any other small objects from entering the pipe.

In case of sloping roof, a cast-in-situ half round gutter across the slope, all along the edge needs to be installed to collect rain water. A half-turned galvanized iron sheet placed horizontally all along the edge of the roof can also be used to capture the water from the roof. A grill or mesh at the inlet of the down water pipe can be fitted to prevent fallen leaves from entering the pipe. A first rain separator is fixed before the filter. The filter is connected at the end of the down water pipe. Using horizontal pipes, the filtered water can be directed into the sump. In addition, an outflow pipe can be installed in the sump that will cause excess water to be diverted to recharge any existing bore or aquifer beneath.

The estimated cost of a new sump construction is Rs. 5 per litre. In an existing house with a sump tank the cost could be around 5000-10000 depending on the plumber costs.

This simple, inexpensive procedure can go a long way in ensuring that future summers will not be marred by fears of water shortage. You can surround yourself with greenery and indulge in refreshing cool showers without worrying about where the next tanker of water is coming from.

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