DC Impact: Refuse Accumulated Along Sailing Club Shoreline Removed After Enquiry
HYDERABAD: The Sailing Club at Secunderabad was greeted by a significant amount of trash along its shore on Saturday morning. Floating debris, including cardboard, plastic, and other materials, had accumulated, marring the scenic shoreline of the club situated on the banks of the Hussainsagar.
"The HMDA which is responsible for cleaning the Hussainsagar typically sends a floating trash collector (FTC) machine every other day. However, they haven't sent one for the past 10 days. This morning, we were dismayed to find a large amount of trash collected here," said a senior staff member at the club.
The issue was reported to Deccan Chronicle by club member P. Anuradha Reddy, convener of Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Hyderabad.
Upon inquiry, an assistant executive engineer of HMDA explained that four FTCs are deployed to clean the lake. "Each machine clears one acre in about eight hours. Due to heavy rains in recent days, trash from the lake accumulated near the Sailing Club. Our machines are working around the clock, including at night. However, with limited resources, it takes time," he stated.
After Deccan Chronicle enquired about the situation, an FTC was sent to the remove the waste from the shore. It was observed that while the FTC was actively removing the trash, no supervisor was present to oversee the operation or assess the situation.
"The unfortunate reality is that successive chief ministers have not fully understood the complexities of managing this lake. NTR, for instance, wanted to widen the road along the lake despite being warned about the granite on one side and mud or slope on the other. Additionally, the sewage treatment plants installed at the lake have been mismanaged, with only one of four currently operational. This plant also got blocked due to landscaping by a nearby private hotel,” said Anuradha Reddy.
“Hussainsagar receives sewage from areas like Banjara Hills, Balanagar and Picket. The previous government, via its Kaleshwaram project, laid a massive pipeline that brought in pollution from Patancheru, dumping it into the historic canal next to the lake and pushing it into the Ashoknagar nala. Governments should support their staff who have the expertise to look into the matter and not mess with a historic lake that has existed even before the city was established," Anuradha Reddy said.
