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Hyderabad: The ancient, historic city of Hyderabad bagged the prestigious “World Green City award” in the category Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth at the International Association of Horticulture Producers (AIPH) 2022 World Green Cities Awards which was organized in South Korea last month. Cut to this month, Hyderabad is declared as the fourth most polluted city in India according to a World Air Quality report.
Large quantities of wastes and mass pollution are being generated due to growing industrialization leading to increased pollution in the southern Indian state of Telangana, it’s capital city Hyderabad, being one of the biggest cities with large population in India produces more than 5030 Mt of waste in a day, in conjunction with vehicular, industrial, agriculture and urban waste.
During the Covid-19 pandemic the biomedical waste has almost doubled from 13 220 kg to 23 810kg within a day. These wastes often find their ways to water bodies and land without proper management or treatment and cause contamination and emission of greenhouse gasses. With over population and significant poverty, millions who live in around urban areas are directly exposed to the harmful effects of all urban waste, especially from faecal and sewage sludge from Rivers, Lakes and Landfills.
Like many other cities in India, the air pollution level in the city was categorized as unhealthy with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 159, PM2.5 level was 70.4 micrograms per cubic of air. This was 14.1 times the World Health Organization (WHO) annual air quality guideline value. The report further points out that there was a rapid rise of particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels from 34.7 ug/m3 in 2020 to 39.4 ug/m3 in 2021, the survey was conducted by analysing 6,475 cities in 117 countries.
New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai scored higher in the pollution game and stood ahead of Hyderabad in the list. According to the analysis, vehicular pollution contributes one third of the pollution in the city. Opened landfill burning, fire from burning solid wastes in landfills and ever-expanding construction sites are seen as other major reasons.
Reports and prestigious awards may show that Hyderabad has a large green cover, but according to expert opinion these are information that mislead the public.
According to Dr B.V. Subba Rao, an environmentalist, The Hyderabad city was once only 58 sq. kilometres and today it has extended up to 6,600 sq. kilometres and it’s growing as more areas including the substantial green cover areas are also coming under city limits which has boosted the green cover numbers of the city limits. According to him, there is no green cover added in the core part of the city.
The city has been announced among the 10 fastest growing cities in the world, going by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the year 2019 with a population of ten million. But the city’s worst management solutions are, however, deteriorating with each passing year.
Earlier last month, the National Green tribunal (NGT) of India has penalized 3,800 crore rupees on Telangana government for improper municipal solid and liquid waste treatment in the state, in the judgment they suggested the Telangana government to implement user charge plans for discharging waste from personal and industrial establishments.
They further pointed out that water bodies in the state have turned into sewage channels due to the government’s inadequate measures. In the report, they have pointed to the River Musi and directed the central pollution control board to examine if the capping could be retained and remedied.
The NGT said that the liquid waste should be managed separately without mixing it up with rainwater drains or rivers and other water bodies.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) merely collects and disposes of mixed waste at various locations in Hyderabad, there is decline of public spaces due to casual waste disposal in street corners of city, and it impacts the everyday usage of common spaces like foot path and cycling routes and pavements that have turned into new breeding ground for cattle, dogs and pigs, which leads to increased environmental and health risks.
According to the infamous Solid Waste Management rules 2016, no waste generator should throw, burn, or bury the solid waste generated by them in open public spaces outside his premises, or in the drain, or water bodies. They must segregate waste into three categories: Biodegradable, non-bio degradable and domestic hazardous waste, but however, it is observed in Hyderabad and in the twin city Secunderabad waste is not separated and people disposing mixed waste due to lack of awareness, although there is separate compartment in the waste collecting vehicle. This shows the government’s failure in oversight and management.
The Jawaharnagar dump yard and the power plant
It is a deadlier place where thousands of metric tons of unprocessed waste has piled up and has taken the shape of a hill. More than 50,000 residents including children living 500 meters away from the dump yard in the Jawaharnagar colony are experiencing hell on earth every day. Unbearable nauseating smell that emanates out of the dump yard and the air pollution has put many people into their sick bed including children.
The power plant – according to the GHMC partnered with Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited (REEL), in order to boost up the city’s cleanliness has set up a waste-to-energy plant at Jawaharnagar dumping yard. It is the first of its kind and run by Ramky Enviro and said to produce 20 MW of RDF using 1,200 tonnes of waste per day.
But reality on the ground is exposed by the residents living around in the Jawaharnagar area and Dammaiguda by continued demonstrations and protests to draw attention to the issues they are facing by the power plant. They claim many of them are facing deadly skin diseases due to the increased mosquito menace and breathing and lung disorders due to the polluted water draining from the 20MW power plant.
To raise awareness and draw attention in hope of receiving help, a committee of the anti-dumping yard had organized a 2k run from Dammiguda to Nagaram on November 13. According to the residents, the waste water drained from the plant during the midnight has caused many fatal accidents, and often the polluted water has been flowing into the residential areas leading to awful smell and many have fallen ill drinking tap water contaminated by the polluted leakage of the power plant.
Last week the residents took to the street protesting and said they cannot take it anymore. Very few establishments like educational institutes and private companies, environmentalists and some gated communities are implementing the decentralized bio degradable waste management system in Hyderabad and leading by setting examples to the rest.
Bowenpally market project
In the north of Hyderabad, the B.R. Ambedkar vegetable market is situated in Bowenpally area. A 23-acre market is famous for its instance of technology adoption. Traders of the market’s vegetable section with the help of a solid waste engineering service (Ahuja engineering services) produce electricity from vegetable waste instead of allowing it to rot and become solid and liquid waste. A bio gas plant has been installed that can treat 10 tons of waste and generate 400-500 units of electricity which is equal to 30 kgs of LP gas.
The 1,400 tons of market waste is converted into 34,000 cubic meters of biogas which has been converted into 32,000 units of electricity. It replaced 600 kg of LPG, as a by-product, the 700 kilolitres of bio manure is also produced from the plant which is made available to farmers for use in their fields.
This electricity is said to have been used to light up around 170 street lights and 100 stalls in the market. According to T.N Srinivasan, chairman of the Bowenpally market committee, this has helped them generate more than half daily electricity requirement by this innovation which cut the electricity cost by Rupees 3 lakh to Rupees 1.5 lakh a month.
Although small projects like Bowenpally market and other small initiatives are functioning towards taking the waste and pollution management towards the right direction, the bigger scale failures of the government authorities and lack of awareness of people marking it evident that waste and pollution Management possess a big challenge for the city.
Each time, the NGT or Air Quality Index of WHO and other such organizations have noticed and issued warnings and directions for remedial actions. But despite continued warning and penalizing the state has always been a case of instance of a disappointing action by the authorities.
The world class modern life dream of Hyderabad would never become a reality if the rules prescribed under Solid Waste Management rules 16 (SWM) are not implemented. Laws should be made to impose penalties for noncompliance with SMW rules. Regular monitoring, evolutions and management with an unbiased system and long-term viability should be carried out.
Rapid growth of a state comes with its own consequences like adding pressure on the environment, compromising its quality of life and changing of Infrastructure. If these remain unchecked, they would affect the long-term healthy growth of the city and its people.
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