At last there is a glimmer of hope for the shrinking and disappearing lakes of Hyderabad. The State Government has decided to launch a drive against the encroachments and illegal constructions on the lake beds and set up special tribunal to deal with the cases.
A high level review meeting jointly conducted by the Municipal Administration Minister K Taraka Rama Rao and Irrigation Minister
T Harish Rao decided to seek help from the High Court in fixing the full tank level of all the lakes as the encroachers were trying to block it by getting stay orders from the court.
The move has come in the backdrop of the lakes disappearing at an alarming rate. Hyderabad was once known as the ‘City of lakes’ but today 90 per cent of its 2,800 lakes have disappeared and concrete jungles have come up on them. Even the lakes which survived the encroachments are facing serious threat because of high level pollution and degradation. Even the two major sources of drinking water Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar are not safe from encroachments.
Minister KTR wanted the officials to take effective measures to save the historic reservoirs by removing the illegal constructions around them which were hampering the flow of rainwater into the waterbodies. “There is a need to save the two reservoirs,” he told the officials.
Under the first phase of the plan, 30 lakes will be fenced off to save them from further encroachments. Around Rs 100 crore will be spent for this.
A nodal officer will be appointed for every lake and he will be responsible for its development and protection. The measures to protect the waterbodies, include diversion of sewage and effluents to other channels.
Irrigation Minister Harish Rao urged the officials to make the lake protection programme in the city a success in the lines of Mission Kakatiya which was a big success in the districts of Telangana in saving and developing irrigation tanks.