Another legacy being laid waste: Historic Katora Houz located at Golconda Fort in Hyderabad turns into cesspool

Hyderabad: In spite of several restoration efforts by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the 450-year-old historic Katora Houz, located at Golconda Fort, has once again turned into a cesspool filled with sewerage and water hyacinth.

The water body, which once used to be a source of drinking water and surrounded by several residential colonies, has now turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Even though the Katora Houz is under the Archaeological Survey of India, there has been no cleaning and maintenance of the water body. The residents of Resham Bagh and surrounding areas near Golconda Fort have been complaining for years about the ill maintenance of the Houz. Sewerage lines are diverted into the lake turning it into a hyacinth and mosquito breeding cesspool.

According to reports, an attempt to restore the Katora Houz was taken up by the GHMC in August 2018, and the civic body started desilting works in the tank. The GHMC spent over Rs 60 lakh for removing trash and water hyacinth from the lake and was last cleaned in 2018, after which the civic body announced plans to restore the lake again but still no works have been initiated.

Mohammed Rafi, a resident of the Golconda, said that GHMC workers do not turn up regularly for carrying out cleaning works. "The Houz is filled with drainage water and covered with water hyacinth. If the works would have taken up, it would have been cleaned by now. After recent rains, the area is engulfed in a malodorous pungent smell and there is an increase in mosquitoes too," added Rafi.

"Once in a few months GHMC officials, area MLA and Corporator tour around the lake but nothing concrete is done. Sometimes thermal fogging is done but the mosquito menace returns. There is immense stench during the day because of hyacinth and drainage water in the lake," said Osman Bin Mohammed Al Hajri, Congress leader.

"Every monsoon the Attara Sidi road turns into a pond, as the drainage lines in the area is blocked. Water from the elevated regions of the fort flows here and there is no rainwater canal system or even proper drainage system in the area," he added.

When contacted, the Karwan MLA, Kausar Mohiuddin said restoration works were stopped due to Covid-19 lockdown and presently no works were being carried out as there were no labourers. Soon he is going to submit a representation to Telangana State Tourism and Culture Minister V Srinivas Goud to take up the restoration works of Katora Houz," added Kausar Mohiuddin.

History

Katora Houz is a four-acre, perfectly symmetrical man-made lake. This reservoir was filled with water from the Talab-e-Durg (now Durgam Cheruvu). The name Katora Houz 'cup cistern' reflects the ambitious propensities of its builders.

The Houz is 10-feet deep and is bordered with lime plastered arches and staircases arranged at the height of three feet each. A fountain is located right in the center to mark the axis of the structure.

It was constructed in 1560, during the reign of Ibrahim Qutb Shah (1550-80), the third of the Qutb Shah dynasty, which founded Hyderabad (1591). Before Hyderabad was built, the Golconda fort used to be a walled city, and several lakes such as the Katora Houz (meaning fountain) were also constructed for various purposes.