Hyderabad: Rituals, waste harming lakes

 Hyderabad: The lake in front of the Kowkur Dargah at Bollarum has some religious significance with people taking a ritual bath in it. Over the years,  however, the lake has become a garbage dump covered by water-hyacinth and littered with old clothes. Believers say that after taking a bath in the lake they must discard their old clothes and walk out in new ones.

Md Shafiuddin, the guardian of the dargah, says that though he has appealed to the GHMC, “they never paid any heed to our woes.” Shekhar Reddy, in charge of lakes in the GHMC, said, “We are trying to preserve the lakes, but maintenance will take time as a lot of drainage water flows into them. This inflow should be stopped and diverted to avoid further polluting of lakes.”

The Kowkur Lake shares the same fate as RK Puram Lake and Bandacheruvu Lake. “The RK Puram Lake was a beautiful spot once but now, due to negligence of the authorities, a lot of hyacinth is spread all over and water is hardly seen,” said Robert D’Souza a resident. Lubna Sarawat of Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL) blames the GHMC.