Hyderabad: Threat looms large at Bum-Rukn-ud-Dowla Lake

Hyderabad: While several water bodies vanished in and around the City due to brazen level of encroachments, the leftovers too, at the outskirts, are facing a threat from the land sharks, which the officials from Irrigation, HMDA, Revenue Departments and GHMC are tackling, while merely playing a second fiddle.

At one end, the Errakunta cheruvu (HMDA ID no.3609), on the City outskirts has almost disappeared, other water bodies like Bum-Rukn-ud-Dowla Lake, Jalpally Lake, Burhankhan Cheruvu and Mir Alam Lake are few other natural aqua-resources facing the similar threats under the nose of HMDA, the metropolitan body mandated to protect the water bodies.

Though these water bodies have been surveyed and tagged with identification numbers long back, no measures have been taken sincerely to protect them from the onslaught of land sharks, who have enjoyed political patronage and are choking the lakes one after another in cahoots with the officials.

At the historic Bum-Rukn-ud-Dawla Lake in Shivrampally area, the compound wall of the HMDA Park adjacent to the lake has been trampled at several points, leaving the lake area open to further trespassing activities. The lake, which was built in the year 1770, was originally spread over 104 acres of area, has shrunk to mere 20 acres due to encroachments from almost all sides.

Despite knowing that even the leftover lake area is facing a grave threat from land sharks, the HMDA and Irrigation Department officials are ignoring the looming threat to the water body and to the adjacent park.

The situation is similar at Jalpally Lake (HMDA ID no.3602), which was originally spread over an area of 274.75 acres with a water spread of 167.480 acres. However, land-filling activities, which are moving conveniently, at least three to four points under the lake area, are cocking a snook at Irrigation Department and HMDA officials.

While the role of Irrigation Department has returned to zero in these areas, the HMDA too is playing like a toothless tiger when it requires to rein-in the audacious activities of land sharks, having political patronage and even having hand in glove with the officials.