Fox Sagar, popularly known as Jeedimetla Cheruvu, is one of the biggest lakes in Hyderabad and is considered as a picnic spot among the locals residing in and around the Kompally-Quthbullapur areas. This lake has been heavily encroached upon with a total of 1,014 illegal structures and stands as the third most encroached lake in the city. Fox Sagar is not an isolated case. Within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits (GHMC), 134 lakes have been declared as encroached upon and a whopping 14,061 encroachments have been found around these lakes.
While 85% of the total encroachments have been identified in and around just 30 water bodies, 15% of the total encroachments were found around 104 lakes. The extent of encroachment was revealed in a government report submitted by the Telangana Irrigation Department to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on November 22, 2022. Several lakes in Kukatpally, Qutubullapur, Saroor Nagar, Shaikpet, Serilingampally, Rajendranagar Mandals have been encroached.
More than 1,500 illegal structures were identified in the 148 acres that fall within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the Mysamma Cheruvu in Kukatpally alone. Full Tank Level refers to a waterbody where any type of development is prohibited. A buffer zone around the FTL zone is established to protect the water bodies from any further encroachments. Any construction in either the buffer zone or the FTL zone is considered illegal.
The report said that there were 8,718 encroachment structures in FTLs and another 5,343 structures in the buffer zones around these 134 lakes. The Irrigation Department also said that 51 lakes were free from any sort of encroachments.
Milan Tank in Bahadurpura, Fox Sagar in Jeedimetla, Large Tank in Saroor Nagar, Pedda Cheruvu in Nacharam and Banda Cheruvu in Malkajgiri were among the most prominent highly encroached lakes. Thirty acres FTL of Salkam Cheruvu in Bandlaguda and 25 acres FTL of Banjara Kunta in Shaikpet have been completely converted into residential colonies.
On March 3, 2022, the NGT directed the Irrigation Department and District Collector to explain the delay in eviction of encroachments around water bodies and the restoration of the lakes and tanks in and around Hyderabad. In its latest reply, the Irrigation Department stated that owners/landlords of structures around 52 tanks had been issued final notification while preliminary notification was given to owners/landlords of structures around 105 tanks. The remaining 28 tank boundaries had to be finalised by the tahsildars, following which notices would be issued, the Irrigation Department responded.
Chief Engineer of Irrigation in North Tanks Division A Narayana, who filed the status report said, “After the issuance of the preliminary notice the owners must file an objection within 15 days will be addressed and subsequently final notification will be issued by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. The encroachments must be removed after final notice.”
Narayana added that the lakes free of encroachments would be protected by fencing and said, “Around 20 lakes under the purview of GHMC are monitored 24 hours by the force deployed around the lakes. Officials are immediately alerted and in serious cases, they will face police charges.”
Speaking about the lakes that have been completely converted, Narayana said, “We have to report on the current status of the lakes as NGT asked us to explain why we were unable to restore the lakes. The NGT will take a decision in such cases. Criminal charges will be faced by the encroachers who deliberately occupy the water bodies even after clear boundaries were mentioned. Out of the 400 cases where people objected to the order, 250 cases are presently under litigation. We could not remove the encroachments as the matter is in court.”