MP launches cleaning mission

Hyderabad: Chevella Lok Sabha member Konda Vishweswar Reddy launched operation clearing water hyacinth in Kaidammakunta lake at Hafeezpet, Madhapur, here on Sunday.

The weed has spread in the lake to the extent of 15 acres. It has lead to breeding ground for mosquitoes. The residents have been complaining for a long time and urging the officials to ensure that water hyacinth is cleared.

Vishweshwar Reddy provided funds to Justice Konda Mahdava Reddy Foundation to launch the operation. The MP won accolades from local people.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishweshwar Reddy said that a few decades ago Hyderabad had beautiful lakes, people used to throng these places for recreation, fishing.

Today they have turned into stinking sewage pits with water hyacinth spreading across the lakes, releasing methane gases. This in turn kills the fish and damage ecosystem.

“When we approached GHMC, they expressed their inability as it is a expensive exercise and cost Rs 60 lakh to clean sixty lakes in the constituency.

Even otherwise by the time the contractors completes the work, the lakes would have been again infested with the weed. Using chemicals to kill the plants would have poisoned the lake.

The machines from Switzerland for this purpose do not give a complete solution and are expensive to get spares or servicing. It was then that I brought this innovative solution developed by Justice Konda Madhava Reddy Foundation (JKMRF),” the MP said.

Rural youth, mostly failed in 10th class, are trained at the Foundation in various technical skills. They developed an innovative method to clear the weed.

The machine mounted on a boat pulls the weed closer to the lake shore and through the conveyor belt these are taken out of the lake. The youth employed by JKMRF have successfully cleaned the Peddamangalaram lake recently.

The machine and conveyor belt cost us Rs 2.6 lakhs as against the Rs 60 lakh contractors would have charged for cleaning.”