Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has proposed two large public-private partnership (PPP) projects to supply treated greywater to industrial and commercial hubs in the city, in a move aimed at cutting dependence on freshwater sources.
The water board has invited expressions of interest (EOI) from developers, infrastructure companies, investors and other agencies to design, finance, build, operate and maintain treated wastewater conveyance and distribution systems under the design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) model.
The two projects would serve high-growth corridors in the Hyderabad metropolitan region. The first would connect the Attapur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to Chandan Valley, supplying treated wastewater to data centres, manufacturing industries and logistics parks, while the second would link the Nagole STP to Future City, catering to IT parks, data centres, commercial establishments and institutional developments.
According to the EOI, the estimated treated water demand by 2035 is projected at 233 million litres per day (MLD) for the Attapur-Chandan Valley corridor and 290 MLD for the Nagole-Future City corridor. The initiative is aimed at promoting the reuse of secondary treated wastewater for industrial and other non-potable uses, while conserving freshwater and strengthening the city’s long-term water security.
Revenue-sharing model planned
Officials told the Times of India that the projects would also generate sustainable revenue for the board through a revenue-sharing arrangement with private vendors.
Under the proposed framework, the selected vendors would design, finance, develop, operate and maintain the treated wastewater supply infrastructure, including pipelines and distribution networks to carry secondary-treated water from the board’s STPs to end users, throughout the concession period.
The private firm would collect a fee from treated water consumers and share royalty with the HMWSSB.
New wastewater policy in pipeline
Meanwhile, the state government is set to formulate and notify a comprehensive Wastewater Reuse Policy, along with guidelines and regulatory measures, to encourage industries, commercial establishments and institutions to adopt treated wastewater as an alternative water source.
Officials said the initiative would ease pressure on the city’s potable water supplies while creating a commercially viable recycled water network to support Hyderabad’s expanding industrial, IT and urban infrastructure sectors.
An HMWSSB official told TOI that the board currently operates an extensive sewerage network and multiple STPs with an aggregate installed treatment capacity of around 1,878 MLD. “This initiative will help us promote the reuse and recycling of treated wastewater for industrial and other non-potable applications and enhance long-term water security through efficient utilisation of treated wastewater,” the official was quoted as saying.
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