Increasing snake sightings in Secunderabad’s RK Puram worry residents

Hyderabad: Residents of RK Puram in Secunderabad are a worried lot over increasing snake sightings in the area, with many also reporting home invasions by reptiles.

Anupama Chawla and her husband were away when their neighbour found a snake stealthily sneaking into their apartment.

“I called the family up, they were out of town, and they asked me to call an organisation that came and rescued the snake. This was the second time in a month that a snake was spotted in the vicinity,” Raghunath A., Anupama’s neighbour, said.

The couple, who has a 10-year-old son and a puppy, are worried that they may not be lucky the next time. “We never thought it would happen to us; our compound wall is the least decorated and the surroundings are squeaky clean. We don't know how and why this happened. I shudder to think what would have happened if we were home. Our neighbour was very brave that day,” Anupama said.

Expert Avinash Visvanathan, the general secretary of Friends of Snakes, an organisation that works to protect and create public awareness about snakes, said he receives about 150-200 calls about snake sightings in the city alone.

While he backed up residents’ claims that the number was increasing, he said it was not alarming. “Most calls are from the periphery of the city, like Miyapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, Attapur, Vanasthalipuram, Nagaram, and LB Nagar. This is because when an area witnesses rapid development, snake population tends to get displaced and they enter the human habitat,” he said.

Secunderabad, however, has been another hot favourite of these reptiles, thanks to the vegetation in the area. “But snake population also thrives in places where garbage disposal is not managed and maintained well. This leads to rodent infestation, luring snakes to invade,” Avinash said.

Another snake expert said that until solutions are worked out, raising awareness about snake sightings, the importance of clean surroundings and information on what to do and not to do in such times can help save the lives of people and snakes.

Meanwhile, a Secunderabad Cantonment Board official said that they have made note of an increased number of snake sightings in the recent past and assured that they would work towards addressing the issue soon before it escalates.