Hyderabad Water Board Mandates STP Registration, Plans Citywide Survey
HMWS&SB has made registration mandatory for private STPs in Hyderabad by October 1, ahead of a geo-tagged citywide survey to promote treated wastewater reuse.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has made registration mandatory for private sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the city, as part of an effort to treat wastewater as a usable resource rather than a disposal problem.
The Board plans to map and monitor private STPs operating in residential colonies, gated communities, apartment complexes, commercial establishments and industries, and to build a network of reliable treated-water suppliers.
The aim is to expand the reuse of treated wastewater for non-potable needs such as gardening, construction, industrial activity and cleaning, thereby reducing pressure on fresh drinking water and groundwater for purposes that do not require potable-quality supply.
Operators must register through the Board's official website, hyderabadwater.gov.in, under 'prospective customer services', by October 1. The registration portal seeks the CAN number, the name of the society or establishment, technical details of the plant, geo-location, photographs and verification documents from the Environment Protection Training & Research Institute (EPTRI). It also captures treatment capacity, the technology used and quality parameters including chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), pH and total suspended solids (TSS).
As a next step, the Board will conduct a citywide survey and geo-tag the plants. The exercise is expected to produce a database showing where private STPs are located, how much treated water they can make available and whether that water meets prescribed standards.
Such a database could help connect users who need non-potable water with nearby plants, allowing builders, commercial establishments and industries to source treated wastewater locally instead of drawing on the Board's piped supply.
Plants that consistently supply treated water meeting the prescribed quality standards will be recognised as registered treated water suppliers. They will receive a separate online portal login to periodically update details of treated-water availability.
The Board has said it will also carry out surprise inspections to ensure registered plants maintain the required treatment standards, and has appealed to private STP operators across Hyderabad to cooperate with the survey and complete registration before the October 1 deadline.