Even as the Telangana government is reviving lakes through ‘Mana Ooru, Mana Cheruvu’ (Our Village, Our Lakes) programme, the state of urban lakes seems deplorable.
With unabated release of toxic wastes from abutting colonies and direct release of sewage, Pedda Cheruvu, commonly known as Ibrahim cheruvu is choking with foam.
The 80-acre lake, situated opposite Taramati Badari, was once rich in biodiversity, with several species of birds and plants. Today, the lake is being badly abised, says Madhulika, founder of Dhuvansh, an NGO involved in conservation of lakes and environment.
“The lake in the downstream of Durgam Cheruvu in Madhapur, flows into the Musi river finally. Ibrahim Cheruvu has been frothing for a year now and my repeated appeals to the Pollution Control Board to inspect the lake and take adequate measures have fallen deaf ears,” she laments.
“I wrote several appeals to the PCB, calling for their attention, but all of them were ignored,” she says.
Madhulika says that the lake water contains high amounts of phosphate and nitrate content — perilous to the lake and the natural habitat of birds and animals surviving on it.
Photos taken by Madhulika show lots of foam on the surface of the lake.
She alleges that the state of the lake has been worsening with each passing day, but is optimistic that it could be revived if the PCB immediately takes necessary action.
“Although the lake has been foaming for almost a year now (since I started observing) nobody is making a hue and cry on it, because it is not in the mainland area, unlike other lakes,” Madhulika rues.
Speaking to TNM, Director of World Wildlife Fund, India, Hyderabad Office, Farida Tampal, who has been involved in preservation and conservation of the environment, says that the government’s initiative towards conserving lakes has been limited to beautifying them.
She says that the government officials have to learn about various techniques to tackle water with high amounts of phosphate and nitrate.
“There are specific plant species which sustain the effects of phosphate and nitrate, and reduce their impact on the lake,” she says.
She also points out that the main reason for the frothing of the urban lakes is due to rampant encroachment of lake bodies.
Despite repeated attempts, by TNM, Director of Telangana State Pollution Control Board, B Ravinder Reddy was unavailable to comment on the issue