Aware of TN water crisis, Telangana MP demands STPs for Musi river

During zero hours in the Lok Sabha, a lawmaker from Bhongir in Telangana, KR Venkat Reddy on Tuesday demanded the central government for setting up sewerage treatment plants (STP) to clean 3000 millions of litres per day (MLD) of Musi river.

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing water crisis in Tamil Nadu, a lawmaker from Bhongir in Telangana, KR Venkat Reddy on Tuesday demanded the central government for setting up sewerage treatment plants (STP) to clean 3000 millions of litres per day (MLD) of Musi river.

Demanding central intervention, Reddy raised the Musi river issue during zero hours in the Lok Sabha.

It is feared that high concentration of heavy metals like iron, chromium, manganese, lead, copper, cadmium, nickel and zinc are found in the Musi river, said Reddy.

"Musi river is one of the important rivers of Hyderabad. It is a tributary of River Krishna, flows from Telangana state and merges with Krishna river. The total course of the river is 240 km. More than 1.5 lakh acres of crops and several lakhs people are dependent on this river...This is a crucial issue and needs to be addressed urgently so we can regain our right to life," said Reddy.

Reddy said that 1,233 MLD of untreated domestic sewage in the city ends up in Musi.

"...In these areas, the water we drink is polluted and even the air we breathe is polluted. Additionally, the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or superbugs has also been confirmed in this water," said Reddy.

The Bhongir MP is also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday over the issue.