Cry to Protect Hanamkonda, Warangal and Kazipet From Urban Flooding

WARANGAL: The residents and members of people’s organisations urged the officials of various departments concerned to protect tri-cities -- Hanamkonda, Warangal and Kazipet - from urban flooding by preventing the encroachment of lakes, tanks and nalas by land sharks which has been continuing unabated for the past five years under the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) limits.

It is to be noted that several colonies under the GWMC limits were inundated by the overflowing lakes and tanks and breach of Bhadrakali Lake following the recent heavy rains.

In 2017, a committee was formed to protect the lakes and tanks located in the limits of GWMC. It was led by then principal secretary of the state municipal administration and urban development department Aravind Kumar with Hanamkonda district collector as chairperson, KUDA vice-chairman as convener and additional collectors of Warangal, Hanamkonda, Janagaon, RDOs, officials of irrigation, land and mines and police departments as members of the committee along with two members of voluntary organisations. But the committee, which met only four times in six years, did not pass any resolution to date.

The members of the state consumer forum S. Chakrapani and M. Sudarshan lodged a complaint with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging that several colonies were inundated following the recent heavy rains because of the encroachment of lakes, tanks and nalas present under GWMC limits. They urged the Tribunal to remove the encroachment in the FTL limits of the Bhadrakali Lake which was spread in about ten survey numbers.

According to the new master plan proposed by the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA), there are around 1,023 lakes and tanks that exist under GWMC limits. But many of them are left to paper only and the lakes which are existing are grabbed by the land sharks. As per the Building Rules 2012 (3) (A) (1) (2), the Full Tank Level (FTL) limits of the lakes and tanks, which are spread over around 10 hectares or more, should be up to 30 metres. Then, only the local bodies and corporations must give permission for the construction, they added.

N. Prathap, a resident of Kapuwada, which is adjacent to the Bhadrakali Lake, speaking to Deccan Chronicle, alleged that the land sharks, who are acting like binamis to the political leaders, not only encroached on the lakes, tanks and nalas but also the constructed apartments and buildings using their political influence by getting permission from the concerned municipal authorities. Even the government officials constructed the Mini Tank Bund in the FTL area of the Bhadrakali Lake violating the rules, he added.

Convenor of the Kakatiya Varasathva Committee Chikati Raju told this newspaper that the Bhadrakali Lake spread over 621 acres has been shrunk to around 281 acres. Several colonies have come up and concrete roads were laid in the FTL area by encroaching about 60 acres of land of the lake in the heart of the city.

For the past 15 years, more than 1,000 representations have been submitted to the officials of various concerned departments on the encroachment of the lake. As the officials failed to act on it, a complaint was also lodged with the Loka Yukta, he added.

The higher officials of the state municipal department inspected and declared that the areas in the GWMC limits were flooded recently because of the shrinking of the lakes and drains and the absence of retaining walls, suggesting the officials remove encroachments immediately.