Telangana: Encroachment by Govt Agencies Turns Lakes into Mini-Ponds
HYDERABAD: Telangana, which sits on an uneven tableland, was popular for its chain of lakes, which compensated the lack of canal systems and met water needs of people across the state for a long period. However, vote bank politics had broken this veritable chain, exposing people to devastating floods.
Five large waterbodies — Balapur lake, Pedda Cheruvu, Mantrala Cheruvu, Chandana Cheruvu, Khanda Cheruvu and Saroor Nagar Cheruvu — in the southeastern part of the city formed a chain, helping thousands of fishermen to survive, besides irrigating hundreds of acres
till 18 years ago. However, they have now shrunk into mini ponds of cesspools.
The modus operandi is simple. It all begins with leaders seeking to beautify the lakes. They secure large sums of money — after taking their commission — that is used to build parks or pedestrian pathways after encroaching large parts of lakes in the FTL and buffer zone limits.
The once beautiful Mantrala Cheruvu, which was spread over 46 acres, got reduced to half the size, due to indiscriminate dumping of debris by government agencies to develop an elevated pathway for morning walkers.
Suresh Kumar, a resident of the adjoining MLR Colony, which has been facing the brunt of flooding in almost every monsoon, blames the construction of a large shopping complex in the lake bed, as the main reason for their plight.
The system of excess water from one lake reaching to another lake downstream until it reached the Musi ended because of encroachments. It is leading to floods in dozens of colonies including Mithula Nagar, Sarvodaya Colony and MLR Colony is the worst-hit, said Gopinath, who runs a NGO in the area against the encroachment of lakes.
Former education minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy inaugurated the street-vendors shopping complex in the FTL limits of Mantrala Cheruvu. Former municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao was the chief guest for the event that literally celebrated the Meerpet Municipal Corporation dumping the lake bed with tonnes of debris.
Senior Congress leader Parijata Narasimha Reddy said that she had opposed the encroachment of the lake. But those in power managed to get crores of rupees funds from HMDA in the name of beautification of the lake. A number of parks have also come up in a number of lakes, which badly reduced the lake into mini-ponds, she said.
Besides flooding of rainwater, the residents of nearby colonies are also suffering from diseases and the rising cases of malaria. The indiscriminate mushrooming of colonies without a proper drainage system has led to all sewage getting diverted into these chains of lakes, leading to serious health issues, fumes Kamini Madhav, a retired teacher who lives in Mithula Nagar.