HYDERABADThe Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) is set to deploy sewage treatment in the lakes it has restored, beginning with a pilot project at Bam Rukn-ud-Dowlah Lake at Shivarampally, using a low-cost, nature-based treatment technology developed by BITS Pilani’s K.K. Birla Goa campus.The project will be executed by BITS Goa for HYDRAA under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, with plans to gradually extend the system to other lakes across the city.The initiative is aimed at ensuring that only treated water enters the lakes being rejuvenated by HYDRAA. While the agency has already developed inlets to prevent sewage from flowing into lakes during dry season, it is now exploring economical technologies for treating wastewater before it is discharged into the water bodies.As part of this effort, HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath visited the BITS Goa campus on Thursday at the institute’s invitation to study its Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland Technology, which is designed for sustainable sewage management and urban lake restoration.The Commissioner also reviewed demonstrations on Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology, Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology and other wetland-based treatment systems. Accompanied by Yunus, head of Vimos Technocrafts, which is overseeing HYDRAA’s lake development works, Mr. Ranganath visited field installations to examine how the technology functions under real-world conditions.The team studied the system’s low power consumption, reduced maintenance costs and long-term operational efficiency, besides observing its nature-based approach to water purification. According to professors at the institute, the technology improves water quality while contributing to ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation, a statement from HYDRAA cited.Mr. Ranganath said HYDRAA has decided to first implement the system at Bam Rukn-ud-Dowlah Lake as a pilot. If successful, the sewage treatment model would be gradually expanded to other lakes being restored by the agency. Published - August 06, 2026 09:15 pm IST