A once serene place turns into thriving residential hub in city

Hyderabad: Saroornagar Lake, which was once a serene spot, has become a source of distress due to several encroachments in its full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone.

It was once spread over nearly 250 acres. Over time, it has shrunk and is now only 40 acres. The main reason is that in the lake's buffer zone, many residential colonies have sprouted up in recent years. It was constructed in 1626 with a depth of 21 feet during the rule of Quli Qutub Shah to provide drinking water facilities, agricultural and irrigational needs of the city. This 400-year-old lake is considered as the top five water bodies of the city.

The data released by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board in December 2023 reflects that the lake’s dissolved oxygen level measured 2.0 mg/L, just above the critical threshold for supporting aquatic life. The pH level was recorded at 7.24 and the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) was notably high at 5.4 mg/L, indicating significant organic pollution. Additionally, the presence of faecal coliform at 24 MPN/100ml and total coliform at 540 MPN/100ml suggests contamination, with streptococci also detected at 2 MPN/100ml.

Locals pointed out that a sewage treatment plant was built but it is not sufficient, as they need a 30-litre one but at present, the capacity of STP is only two litres. Two years ago, developmental works were sanctioned under Mission Kakatiya Phase IV but hardly 30 per cent of the works were completed, with the rest of the works pending due to lack of funds. At present, the complete lake has become a floating dump yard, the complete outlet of the lake is damaged and due to that the polluted water is unable to flow out into downstream. Due to this, during every monsoon, locals are facing hardships. Even during the recent rains, due to heavy flows in the lake, many nearby colonies were inundated with stagnant water.

“The catchment area of the lake is completely dried up, as the pipelines are completely choked and also the entire lake has become a dump yard. On humanitarian grounds, we locals have made an effort to clean the lake but it did not fetch any result and due to a lack of proper enforcement by concerned officials, the lake is lying neglected. Also, another concern is that with the upcoming Ganesh immersion, the lake will once again get polluted. It will be better if GHMC officials take stern action,” said Sai Avinash,

a local.