The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : It is no more a pink pond!

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Friday, Feb 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

It is no more a pink pond!

M.L.Melly Maitreyi

HYDERABAD: The Pink colour of the ‘Pink Pond’, a dubious sobriquet of Noor Mohammad Kunta is not due to bacteria after all as claimed by the technical team of JNTU in its report.

It is indeed the toxic industrial effluents from surrounding Kattendan industrial area in Rajendranagar that gave the intriguing hue to the lake. After the closure of polluting textile units by the PCB in 2006, results are for every one to see.

The lake water is almost colourless now, an indication that the lake is regaining its health. The HUDA, which already identified 18 lakes as highly polluted lakes in the twin cities and started their restoration work under the Green Hyderabad Environment Programme, refused to include 23 acre Noor Mohammad Kunta under GHEP because of its high content of industrial effluents. Without arresting flow of effluents, lake restoration would not work, it maintained then.

Then APPCB following Supreme Court directive swung into action and issued closure notices to four major textile units in the Kattendan area that were letting effluents into the lake.

Though the units argued that the pink colour was apparently due to bacteria and not due to effluents, PCB was not convinced and got those units closed in March, 2006. “Today the pink colour has disappeared and our stand has been vindicated,” says an APPCB official.

Once the flow of industrial effluents was controlled, HUDA allotted funds for the sewage treatment plant to stop the direct letting of domestic sewage into the lake.

“Work on the Rs.5.5 crore 4 mld secondary level STP started in April 2007 and it will be commissioned by this April-end ,” says HUDA Executive Engineer B.L.N.Reddy. APPCB Member Secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari disclosed that the next task is to remove the industrial effluent settled as sediment in the lake. A Rs.10 crore plan sanctioned by Central Government is being prepared and an international agency would be awarded the work through competitive bidding. The process may take one year, he said.

The positive signs are already being noticed with the birds returning to the lake and the visiting Swedish team on environment was a witness to that on Wednesday, he said.

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