Hyderabad: Mosquito menace plagues city's Mir Alam Lake

Rangareddy: The historic Mir Alam Lake, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, is suffering from neglect as officials fail to address the proliferation of water hyacinth and the consequent mosquito infestation. Despite the Water Foundation project and a two-year delay in the proposed construction of a Cable Bridge, the water body is yet to receive proper attention from officials.

Local residents have voiced their concerns with the lack of maintenance and have been experiencing sleepless nights due to the mosquito menace. The spread of the water weed has put aquatic life in danger, and families are seeking medical attention for waterborne illnesses. The situation has been compounded by the growing number of habitations near the lake, which has allowed water hyacinth to flourish, and mosquito infestations to become more prevalent.

The lake spans over 315 acres and extends from Bahadurpura to Attapur. Several colonies, including Hasan Nagar, Indra Nagar, Fatima Colony, NTR Nagar, Golden City, Indra Nagar, Baba Nagar, Mahmood Nagar, and parts of Suleman Nagar, have been particularly affected by the mosquito menace, with residents resorting to ineffective mosquito repellents to ward off the biting insects. The lake has been heavily encroached upon, with residents accusing officials of poor maintenance and an inadequate response to the mosquito menace. Despite anti-larvae drives by the Entomology Wings, the issue is yet to be resolved, and the mosquito menace continues to persist.

According to local residents, the mosquito infestation has become a perennial issue, and has led to widespread illness and sleepless nights. "Local people along with their children are regularly visiting clinics these days with symptoms like fever and other water borne diseases. People almost from all the colonies abutting the lake are complaining about mosquito menace. Neither the anti-larvae drives are being taken up in the localities nor the water body is being maintained properly," said Iqbal Khan.

"No mosquito repellent comes to offer a solace to the people living in the colonies around the Lake as the barrage of stinging flies convulse into human habitation soon after the sunset almost every day while the anti-larvae drives by Entomology Wings is just an eyewash," said, Mohammed Jahangir, Area Sabha Member Hassan Nagar.

Last April, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) deployed machines to enhance the entire lakefront area opposite Danamma Huts on National Highway-44, ahead of the scheduled inauguration of a water fountain in the lake. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) had approved the proposal, but it was not illuminated after the inauguration. Aquatic weed-harvesting machines were rolled-out to remove water hyacinth a year before the HMDA devised the water fountain project. However, the measures proved not worthwhile neither in protecting the dwellers living in the surrounding from stinging mosquitoes nor the underwater aquatic life.