Hyderabad: Matrusrinagar campaigns against lake pollution

Hyderabad: Residents of Matrusrinagar held a signature campaign on Sunday demanding that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation construct a sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat sewage flowing into the lake and also stop work on a sewage pipeline that will carry sewage from other colonies in Miyapur.

The Meedhikunta Lake is already polluted with untreated sewage pouring in from surrounding colonies. But now a new pipeline from Hydernagar is being connected to this lake through Matrusrinagar.

One of the residents, Vinay Vangala, said, “We don’t have an STP and the lake is already getting polluted. Now, GHMC is officially mixing untreated water from Hydernagar into Meedhikunta Lake. We urged the officials to stop this immediately. Instead of stopping the current untreated sewage flow into the lake, connecting another sewage pipeline will disturb the ecosystem of the lake further. They can continue the activity after setting up an STP for the lake.”

Around 4,000 families of Matrusrinagar are likely to be impacted by this pollution. The colony was promised an STP, but it is not mentioned among the recently sanctioned 20 STPs. Residents are also concerned about the impact on the aquatic environment and birds near the lake.

Resident R. Surendra points out that “stagnant sewage water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes causing diseases like malaria. Sewage draining into the lake is degrading the quality of water and causing air and ground water pollution.”

The signatures collected by the techies of the colony will be submitted to the GHMC, which has been dragging its feet in the matter despite numerous representations given to the officials concerned.

A civic official said that the STP will be sanctioned in the second phase, but residents say that this will take more time and the lake needs to be protected  immediately.

This newspaper has highlighted the lake pollution earlier too, but the civic body has carried on its polluting activities unabated.