Kothwalguda dainage flooding Himayatsagar

Hyderabad: Residents of Aziznagar alleged that they had noticed sewage water from the Kothwalguda drainage had been entering the famed Himayatsagar

"Sewage water has been entering the lake for weeks and nothing has been done to control the damage and fix the problem," said Burgula Venkat, a resident of the area. Stating that he was alerted by the stench the sewage was causing, Venkat said, "I was shocked to see how much of the dirty water has entered the lake."

It is noteworthy that the historic man-made lake is yet to be notified as a water body. "Several attempts in the past to bring attention to this lake have been unfruitful. Numerous places in the city are being beautified every day, why isn't this huge lake, which is probably also the biggest and cheapest source of drinking water in the city, not give importance," asked Prerna Murthy, another resident.

Locals joined hands with activists to ask with the government to construct a sewage treatment plant to ensure that dirty water does not enter the lake. " An STP is the only long-term solution, though officials need to rush and figure out a way to stop drainage water from entering into the lake until then," Murthy added.

Her neighbour Ankit Simha said that he witnessed people walking to the lake to urinate, wash their animals and even vehicles. Unless strict measures are taken to protect the lake, it will be too late.

He said the conditions at the lake had deteriorated after the government took the decision to rescind Government Order 111 which protected Himayatsagar and Osmansagar.