Hyderabad: Locals root for breathing life intoBanda Cheruvu at E Anandbagh

Hyderabad : Therestoration and beautification works at Banda Cheruvu/Anandbagh Lake located at East Anandbagh seem never-ending, as in the name of beautification only digging took place. For the past year, sewage pipelines have been lying near the lake. Vexed by the issue, locals raised their concerns about protecting the lake. Currently, the lake stands as one of the fastest-shrinking lakes in the city, with little to no water remaining.

The lake area, which originally extended up to 132 acres, has now shrunk to only 60 acres due to encroachment by land grabbers, and the entire lake has also been covered with seaweed. At present, the surrounding area of the lake has become a garbage dump yard, and as sewage water is discharged into the lake, the colour of the water has changed. This has resulted in a severe mosquito menace in the nearby colonies.

Residents have noted that plans to develop the lake similar to Durgam Cheruvu appear to exist only on paper. Last year, the irrigation department took up lake development and beautification works, but only the surrounding area of the lake was dug. As a result, locals are encountering difficulties navigating the area due to haphazardly placed pipelines.

“Construction efforts commenced last year, but it remains unclear why they were halted. Speculation suggests insufficient funding may be the cause. Consequently, the gradual deterioration of the lake is evident, posing challenges for local residents, particularly during the monsoon season. Additionally, negligence from the GHMC has resulted in the indiscriminate dumping of garbage, exacerbating the situation. As we do not know when the development works will begin, it will be better that until then concerned officials fence the lake,” said Robin, a local of East Anandbagh.

“Over the past year, we've been given nothing but false hope. Whenever we reach out to GHMC officials, they consistently redirect us to the irrigation department, claiming that lake development falls under their jurisdiction.

However, upon contacting the irrigation department, we find ourselves caught in a bureaucratic loop, as they simply pass us from one department to another without any meaningful resolution.

With no progress made, locals are understandably skeptical about whether the planned enhancement of the lake will ever materialize. Despite numerous complaints, no action has been taken towards its development," said Johnson, another local of Anandbagh.