University of Hyderabad to make campus eco-friendly

Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad has prepared a master plan for proper land utilisation and development of the campus. As a part of the master plan, the focus will be on making the university more eco-friendly.

There are plans to develop a large solar farm to make the university self-sufficient in power. Currently, the university's library runs on solar power.

The master plan also mentions the development of a lake to augment surface and groundwater. Desilting of lakes and creation of spillways and bunds are also on the cards.

Along with this, a buffer area of 100 m around all the lakes and streams in the university has been planned. No construction or human interference will not be allowed in the buffer areas.

Two sewage treatment plants of 1500 liters per day capacity are also planned and 200 acres of bio-reserve zone has been demarcated to protect the flora and fauna of the region.

While the plans are ambitious there is the major problem of funding for getting these works done. A senior university official said, "We plan to get the funds through sponsorship from private or government departments. We have been approaching various departments. For example, the project of creating spillways and bunds for the four lakes will most probably be done by the minor irrigation department.”

However, looking at the past record of the university, getting such sponsorship and funding seems to be a challenge. In the past, some campus development activities were taken up by the university, but they were done mainly through university's own funds.