Close to 5 million cubic metres of silt, approximately 88 lakh tonnes, will have to be excavated from the 5.7 sq. km Hussainsagar with a budget of less than Rs 100 crore. The state government is running two months behind for the Hussainsagar dewatering project; the activity, especially pumping out the water, should have started by December 15 so that the lake could be silted in portions, ready to face the summer, stated experts.
Three government departments Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, Irrigation and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation are to be involved in the draining process. As per the present plan, the two Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP) will be blocked so that no water enters the lake during the draining process, including from the Kukatpally nala, which is to be diverted. The departments will carry out 24x7 pumping of 0.7 tmc ft of lake water.
Half of the lake will be emptied in about 15 days with 24-hour pumping. The department is excepting 5 million cubic metres of silt to be removed. There is an outlet between Buddha Bhavan and Viceroy Hotel and once the water starts getting emptied towards the Hyderabad Sailing club, smaller lakes will be created within the Hussainsagar. Treated water readily available at the Khairatabad STP will flow in.
“The government is contemplating on creating island structures at the Kukatpally nala to deposit the silt instead of transporting it to the outskirts to drastically reduce the budget. The budget for depositing waste itself is about Rs 20 crore; two islands would have be created to accommodate the silt,” said a senior HMDA official. As per the estimated amount of silt to be removed, an island of about 20 -30 acres would have be created, however, without blocking the flow from Kukatpally nala. The Hussainsagar water will be diverted to the Amberpet STP for treatment and further to Musi River. With the ongoing dredging process of the Picket, Banjara and Balkapur nalas, half-a-million cubic metres of waste has been removed.
Kukatpally Nala diversion
The lake’s biggest nala will be diverted through a ring-like pipeline connecting the nala from Necklace Road to Buddha Bhavan (BBP office at Tank Bund). A 2400-mm diameter tunnel and duct (underneath Tank Bund), from Buddha Bhavan to Dhobhi Ghat, will be constructed with a budget of Rs 60 crore. All the waste will be transported through the ring pipeline to Buddha Bhavan before entering the tunnel to end up at the Dhobhi Ghat outflow.
