De-silting – removing hardened silt and debris from sewer pipes and drains – one of the major maintenance works of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) to ensure efficient system, exposed civic insensitivity yet another time.
As part of the special drive, and frequent complaints of sewage overflow, the Board was taking up works at Nalgonda crossroads near Riyasath Nagar. Much to the shock of the jetting machine operators, the silt from the manholes showed blankets, bed sheets, mattresses, plastic items and other solid materials.
According to officials, the sewage issue was resolved after the items were removed. It was evident that frequent complaints from the area were due to dumping of waste and accumulation.
“Problems of sewage will continue, if residents do not cooperate, and no number of special drives would help. But soon there will be strict action and enforcement if anyone dumps garbage and waste in the manholes,” an official said.
The de-silting works in some operations also showed pillows and mattresses. Additionally, hotels, offices, bakeries, food courts, owners of commercial buildings, and managers of multi-storeyed building complexes were found to be connecting their sewerage pipelines directly to the Board’s sewerage network, resulting in food and waste materials entering manholes.
Such problems also arise due to the failure to construct silt chambers and as a result the pressure on the sewerage pipelines increases and they overflow. With silt chambers, the solid waste will remain and only sewage will flow into the manholes. As part of the drive, the Board also appealed to all kinds of consumers to construct silt chambers to ensure smooth flow.
Published – May 17, 2025 01:03 pm IST
