Telangana: Nalla Cheruvu lake spills toxic foam onto roads

Hyderabad: Toxic foam from chemical effluents released into the Nalla Cheruvu (lake) in Uppal is spilling over on to the roads. The lake that spreads across 35 acres has an excess water outlet. This canal is now a frothing drain rich with chemical toxins. The drain leads to the Musi river, barely 1 kilometer ahead. With this, Nalla Cheruvu becomes the third lake to go the Bellandur (Bengaluru) way. 

“This has been happening for months now. Initially the foam was not so much, but after the rains the situation has worsened with the foam spilling onto the roads, especially in the mornings,” says Pittala Sirisailam, a local.

The corporator of the area, Anala Reddy, said the culprits were the industrial units functioning in the Nacha-ram and Mallapur ind-ustrial area. “They have been regularly discharging effluents into the lake. The lakes near Chilikanagar are polluted with the pollutants now flowing into this lake. We have complained multiple times to PCB but no action has been taken so far,” he said.

There are a large number of chemical units operating in the Mallapur industrial area. But the Deputy Executive Engineer of the area, Narendra Goud rules out the chances of untreated sewerage being released as a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) lies right opposite the lake. “The only water that is entering the lake is through many storm water drains from South Swaroop Nagar. The STP’s treated water goes directly into the Musi,” said Mr Goud. 

But he adds that garbage and debris dumping is rampant on the lake banks that may be leading to the lake getting polluted.

Noting that every lake in the city is facing a similar situation due to some reason or the other, PCB’s senior scientist, N. Raveendhar said that a detailed action plan is underway to revive these lakes. “We want to undertake catchment area analysis and this plan will be forwarded to Ministry of Municipal Administration and Urban Development,” said Mr Raveendhar.