People come together to revive a dying lake

Shaikpet: The Kotha Cheruvu Lake in Shaikpet, once a clean water source for the locals has become the victim to modern urbanisation and has turned into a dumping ground like many other water bodies in Hyderabad over the years.

A decade ago, locals used to do fishing as the lake abounded in marine life, but now it is nothing but an abandoned water body filled with garbage, sewerage and toxic waste dumped by nearby residences and hospitals resulting in killing all the marine life in the lake.

During a recent surprise visit to the Shaikpet Kotha Cheruvu, the GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore said the GHMC would take necessary actions to clean the water hyacinths and will do fogging to curb mosquito problem. However, the locals allege that the GHMC workers themselves are dumping garbage near the lake.

With the help of an NGO 'Ananda Foundation' the locals have come together and are supporting the cause to make the lake clean, make it part of a healthy ecosystem again.

Seetha Anand Vaidyam, the founder of Ananda Foundation, has been fighting for the conservation of this water body for years. Speaking about the situation of the lake she said, "Kotha Cheruvu used to be a beautiful and clean lake where fish grew in abundance.

Today it is a toxic, stinking and a breeding place for mosquitoes. In and around the lake garbage is dumped and not cleared daily. It affects the air, water and spreads diseases in this area."

Further, she added "The GHMC should urgently stop dumping garbage in this area and clean the lake and stop toxic effluents from being pumped into the lake. It's been four weeks we have cleaned the surrounding premises of the lake as it was filled with garbage dumps we will start cleaning the lake in a few days."

With a common goal of saving this lake, they are conducting weekly cleaning drives throughout the year. The lake cleanup drives saw several people participating ranging from students to senior citizens. This year-long drive involves community awareness, plantation and water treatment.

Gunturu Harshada, a local resident, shared, "Living near the lake for many years, I have experienced firsthand the detrimental and harmful pollution it has endeared. The quality of the immediate surrounding environment has also degraded substantially over a few years."

"We know how harmful the air we breathe in is. Unless the littering and other forms of pollution stop attempts to clean the lake and its surroundings will only have temporary relief," she added.