Gangaram Pedda Cheruvu

Gangaram Pedda Cheruvu is located at Chandanagar in Serilingampally mandal. It was mainly used for agricultural and fishing activities and was surrounded by a good number of fresh water wells. It was used for drinking water needs and cultivation of various types of crops by the villagers.

According to the irrigation department, the original tank was spread over 69.19 guntas. It has now been reduced to less than 50 acres due to massive encroachments, illegal constructions by land sharks and unilateral permissions and sanctions by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities against the directives of the Supreme Court. As per the Supreme Court’s orders, no new construction activity should be taken up in the vicinity of the existing lakes in the city, except those for the beautification of the water body. The lake has now become a cesspool due to the drain and sewage inflows from the neighbouring colonies. The surface is layered with thick hyacinth and water weeds. The lake has no fencing, even though it is listed with the Lake Protection Committee of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

History

As per the locals, though the lake was constructed during the period of the Nizams, it was managed and maintained by the locals who were the village heads. Most of the villagers took to fishing and the lake was the source of their livelihood. In the course of time, the tank was prominently known as Ganagaram Cheruvu, because the emolument of Ganaga Putrulu (the community of fishermen) depended on this freshwater lake, which was fed by rain during monsoons.

Problems

Thakur Rajkumar Singh, ex-convener, Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL), said, “The lake’s Full Tank Level (FTL) area was subjected to illegal encroachments and unauthorised constructions of multi-complex apartments, individual buildings and commercial complexes. The original size of the lake was already reduced by more than 20 acres. The lake was not fenced despite the fact that a tender was called for by the HMDA a few years ago. Neither the district collector nor the HMDA gave information on the FTL area and buffer zone of the lake, though a petition was filed under the RTI Act.”

“Added to the woes, land sharks had broken the bund of the tank partially last year in September to facilitate the outflow of water to drains, fearing that the lands occupied by them would be filled with rainwater and their chances of selling the land would go in vain,” he added.

In this connection several complaints were lodged at respective government agencies to take action on the lake culprits and to rebuild the broken bund to save water. The authorities simply ignored the issue.

Thakur appealed to the Telangana Chief Minister KCR and the minister for irrigation T Harish Rao to look into the matter and take necessary action against the land sharks and the agencies that are responsible for the depletion of lakes in the city.