Hyderabad NGOs asked to spread awareness on FSSM

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) held a meeting with 15 NGOs here on Monday. Around 150 members from the NGOs were briefed by Engineering Staff College of India (ESCI), Hyderabad staffers on Faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) in the presence of HMWSSB officials.

The NGO members were asked to spread awareness among people especially those living in the city’s peripheral areas and owners of septic tank trucks. “As part of Dial-a-septic tank cleaner service, citizens need to call 155313 or 14420 and the vehicle will transport the faecal matter to the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP). People living in economically weaker sections will be charged less,” HMWSSB Managing Director Dana Kishore said.

In July, a FSTP near Nalla Cheruvu, Uppal, was inaugurated and 87 septic tank trucks were flagged off by Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao. A pro-poor tariff structure with an objective of cross-subsidization was also approved by MAUD to reduce the burden on slum dwellers as part of safe management of faecal sludge and septage, officials said.