East Zone lakes on death bed

Saroornagar: Five lakes - Saroornagar Lake, Balapur Cheruvu, Pedda Cheruvu, Mantralaya Cheruvu and Khanda Cheruvu are all polluted and the water cannot be used for consumption. Just 15 years ago, hundreds of fishermen were making a living out of the five lakes.
Revathi, a resident of Saroornagar says, “There is no way people can keep the doors and windows open after 6 p.m. There isn’t a single family without someone suffering from skin diseases and cases of malaria are rising every year.

When asked, Assistant Engineer Arun of Irrigation department said that indiscriminate mushrooming of colonies without a thought of a proper drainage system has led to all drainage water being diverted into the lakes. Drainage water from 150 colonies enters the Saroornagar Lake alone. The sewerage from Karmanghat, Champapet, Bairamguda, B N Reddy Nagar, Sagar Enclave, Nirmala Nagar and Padma Nagar enters the lake.

Rammurthy, a former railway employee and resident of Almasguda says, “The Balapur Cheruvu was once clean and people even spent their evenings around it. Today, there is no way one can even wait for a minute at the foot of the lake.”

By Venkatesh Pasunuru