Hyderabad: The heart-shaped Hussainsagar appears to have heart disease and cannot be restored to its former prime.
Close of the heels of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) hearing, senior officials have told Deccan Chronicle that no concerted efforts are being made to restore the Hussainsagar lake, which has become synonymous with the city and its pollution.
And to think, just 150 years ago this same lake consisted of pure rain water, where people could just scoop up a glass of water and drink it without fear of harm.
The lake was built in 1563 by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah and was the main source of water for Hyderabad before Himayatsagar and Osmansagar were built.
“The inlets that feed the lake carry storm water along with sewage waste,” said a senior Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) official.
“We had established two Interception and Diversion points to prevent pollutants from entering. Despite this, a lot sewage enters the lake, with roughly 80 per cent through the Kukatpally Naala.”
What about cleaning the lake by drying it out? “No matter what we do we cannot restore the lake to its earlier prime,” the official said. “Forget cleaning the lake, once dried up the lake bed would give off a putrid stench that will suffocate the city. The people who planted this idea in Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s mind did not tell him that it is not possible.”
The green brigade has tried educating people on the ill-effects of such a polluted lake, but the stench that welcomes passers-by and commoners remains.
“There was a time when people saw fish jumping out of the lake,” Arjun Pradipak, Secunderabad Sailing Club coach said.
“Sometimes they used to flop onto the boats. We saw pollutants entering the lake in the early 1990s. As far as sailing goes, there is no contact with the water, but if ingested could lead to harmful effects.”
The Forum for a Clean Hussainsagar, led by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), was meant to spearhead the revival of the lake, but its members are sitting with folded hands as the forum was long back disbanded by the government.
Even the lake police, which rescues people who jump in the lake say: “We have a few masks that we wear in office. Without those it is difficult to hang around. Several cops, including officers, constables and Blue Colt patrol teams complained of rashes when they go near the Hussainsagar water.”
