The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : HUDA to restore five more lakes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

HUDA to restore five more lakes

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, OCT.13. The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA), which had restored the three highly-polluted lakes under the Lake Conservation Programme of Green Hyderabad Environment Project, is all set to restore five more lakes by March next year.

Sewage treatment plants

Of the 18 highly-polluted lakes identified in the metropolitan region, HUDA had restored and beautified Saroornagar, Safilguda and Langer Houz lakes and commissioned sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the last two years for treating sewage before letting it into the lakes.

Work is on to restore Pedda cheruvu, Nalla cheruvu, Patel cheruvu, Miralam tank and Durgam cheruvu by March next at a cost of Rs. 44 crores. "Though all the lakes with the exception of Miralam tank has some issue or the other, we are able to proceed with the work by educating and convincing the local people that restoration of lakes was essential for recharging of good quality ground water," the officials said. The common issue however is the tricky `sheekam pattas', believed to have been given ages ago to enable the locals to cultivate land when the water receded. For instance, those who had purchased the plots years ago near Pedda cheruvu argued that their plots were never situated on the lake bed area and the problem had cropped up due to construction of bunds in the downstream areas of the lake.

The lakes which had been reduced to sewage pools with effluents and domestic sewage directly let into them, had become cause for unhygienic conditions and contamination of ground water.

Work begins

A majority of the residents in the vicinity of lakes however were for the restoration and beautification of lakes at the earliest, the officials said.While sites for STPs for the five lakes had been acquired, work had started on 10 mld and 5 mld STPs of Miralam tank and Durgam cheruvu respectively. The work on STPs of remaining three lakes would commence shortly. Meanwhile, preparatory work for the remaining 10 highly-polluted lakes is on while priority is being given for Rangadhamani, Yellamma Cheruvu (Kukatpally), Hasmathpet in Alwal and Suddalavani bordering Municipal Corporation and Kukatpally Municipality.

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