Rampant waste dumping in city lake under HYDRA lens

Hyderabad: The HYDRA took serious note of dumping the construction waste in Neknampur Lake (Chinna Cheruvu) at Manikonda. Despite the irrigation wing serving notices on construction agencies, the dumping activity has been continuing in the lake for the last six months. The HYDRA authorities reached the lake and warned of strict action.

On Wednesday, A V Ranganath, Commissioner of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA), inspected the lake. During his visit, the Commissioner interacted with local officers and residents near the lake. Emphasising the importance of preserving the water body, the Commissioner stated that all relevant departments would be consulted and necessary measures would be taken to protect the lake, and also strict action would be taken on illegal dumping.

Residents expressed their growing concerns over the ongoing encroachment and illegal dumping into the lake. They pointed out that the agencies are not only occupying public roads and buffer zones but are also filling the lake with Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) material. Due to that, their entire lake has turned blackish, which has led to various issues, like the drastic dip of the groundwater level in Manikonda.

Shaik Aarif Mohammed, General Secretary of the Citizens' Council, said, "Despite several complaints given to the irrigation department several times, illegal dumping is continuing. We fear the lake's size will continue to shrink if this illegal activity continues. The lake is already smaller than its original size of 108 acres. If this continues, very soon the lake will disappear. The dumping is taking place early in the morning, and at present the lake is covered with construction materials.”

Madhulika Choudary, an environmental activist who is also working to protect the Neknampur lake, said, “The illegal dumping should be stopped for the welfare of the lake. During the HYDRA Commissioner's visit, we submitted him a representation regarding the status of the lake, and he assured us that action would be taken against such activities.”

Meanwhile, officials of the irrigation department stated that recently we have issued a notice to the construction agencies and also warned them to stop such activities.