Hyderabad: Gandipet reservoir acreage reduced by 300 acres

RANGA REDDY: Gandipet Reservoir which is source of drinking water to Hyderabad has been reduced by 300 acres. This situation has arisen due to false reports of both the departments. The conservation of twin reservoirs, Gandipet (Osman Sagar) and Himayat Sagar is still under occupation with GO No.111, however, the reservoir area is being illegally occupied. The hundred-year-old city of Gandipet (Osman Sagar) not only protected the city from floods but also provide drinking. Its scope is shrinking while the city is developing over time. As part of the conservation of ponds, lakes and reservoirs in the suburbs of Hyderabad, HMDA issued a preliminary notification on December 30 of the same year for the survey to know their full acreage in 2019. However, there was a difference between the cadastral maps at the Water Board and the maps in the notification issued by HMDA. In 2014, environmentalists collected a total of 6,335.35 acres, including the full tank level, from water board officials through RTI. Environmentalists at that time were concerned as the reservoir was reduced by 300 acres as the HMDA notification showed only 6,039 acres including the pull tank level. All this has been blamed on a lack of coordination between the departments and the loss of acreage due to pressure from business and political leaders.

According to environmentalist Purushottam Reddy, Gandipet, which meets the city's drinking water needs, has been losing its survival over time due to the negligence of government. Social worker Lubna Sarwath said that we have been fighting for the conservation of Gandipet pond for a long time. "In 2015, we did a study on the full area of the pond". A petition has been filed in the court seeking action as there is a huge difference in the present acreage.