National Green Tribunal to revisit Hyderabad on lake dewatering

Hyderabad: Dissatisfied with the second round of inspections, the two-member team of National Green Tribunal (NGT) is revisiting the city on August 30 for a final view on the dewatering of Hussainsagar.

The team inspected the Sailing Club annexe area, Picket nala and the confluence of the Kukatpally and Jeedimetla nalas on Saturday. Meanwhile, the NGT seeking a detailed report on the repairs carried out at Hussainsagar and the TS government’s plan on dewatering the lake has set off a blame game between the GHMC, HMDA and the Pollution Control Board.

The NGT had sought the report by August 25 failing which a fine of Rs 1 lakh would be imposed. The HMDA, which owns the lake and the PCB state that the repairs were carried out by irrigation wing of the GHMC.

On Aug. 21, the HMDA commissioner clarified its role stating that the authority had earlier carried out clearing works at the lake catchment under the Japan-funded JICA Project. This included dredging of the three drains (except for Kukatpally). Apart from that, the HMDA said it had undertaken no other repairs. The lake protection committee will submit a report on its role to NGT on August 24. The PCB authorities take no responsibility for the lake except controlling the industrial effluents flowing into the nala from Kukatpally.

The NGT team comprising Prof. S. Mohan of IIT-Madras and advocate Devraj Ashok from Bengaluru inspected the huge pipes laid in the Hussainsagar adjacent to the Sailing Club annexe.

This was not part of the inspection schedule as given by the state government to the NGT committee, said a member of .Save Our Urban Lake, a non-government organisation that filed the petition at the National Green Tribunal.