Hyderabad, 28 October (H.S.): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed all government offices to use 100 per cent treated wastewater for non-potable purposes from November 1, with the mandatory arrangement to continue through December as part of efforts to conserve drinking water.

At a review meeting on sewage treatment plants (STPs) and treated water utilisation at the MCR HRD Institute's Bodhi Pavilion, the Chief Minister stressed that water quality must not be compromised under any circumstances. He directed officials to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in treatment plants and strengthen monitoring of their operations.

Revanth Reddy called for the appointment of a special officer at every plant and asked that all STPs be linked to a command control centre. He directed HYDRAA to monitor the plants and ensure that treated-water tankers were tracked. Officials were also asked to examine the feasibility of operating treatment plants using solar power.

The Chief Minister directed that treated water be used for landscaping and road cleaning along the Outer Ring Road and in other areas. The same requirement should apply to landscaping at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister's Office and public parks. He also suggested bringing the Railway Department and Metro Rail under the initiative and supplying treated water to data centres.

He asked officials to make the use of treated water a condition for granting building construction permissions and encouraged the establishment and use of private sewage treatment plants. A public awareness campaign on treated water utilisation should be conducted, and a toll-free number should be established to facilitate access to treated water, he said.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the measures should address future demand while ensuring that drinking water supplies remained uninterrupted. He called for continuous monitoring of freshwater availability and warned officials against negligence. Water Board officials briefed him on the availability of drinking water during the meeting.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, CMO Secretary Manik Raj, Director of School Education Naveen Nicholas, Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner Srujana, Malkajgiri Municipal Commissioner Vinay Krishna Reddy, Water Board Managing Director Ashok Reddy, TGSPDCL Managing Director Jitesh V. Patil, Pollution Control Board Member Secretary Ravi and Special Commissioner of the Information and Public Relations Department Mukunda Reddy attended the meeting.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar