Hyderabad: Despite seven years of struggle by residents to diver the sewarage lines leading into Trimulgherry lake, nothing substantial has been done on the ground.
The lake was given to the tourism department nearly two decades ago, and residents are making the rounds of the SCB and tourism department offices to get the lake cleaned up as the two establishments keep passing the buck.
The lake, which is now about eight acres, is a cesspool with sewage and garbage from local areas, and residents are forced to stay in unhygienic conditions.
Mr Harshada Gaikwad, a resident of Trimulgherry, said the lake had become a breeding place for mosquitoes and pigs. “Whenever it rains, our houses and the lanes get filled with knee-deep dirty water. At other times, a foul smell enters our houses when we open our doors,” Mr Gaikwad said.
Asked questioned about the lake clean-up, SCB health superintendent Afzal Mohiuddin said: “We do clean the lake quite often but the garbage keeps coming in. We take up anti-larval measures too to avoid mosquitoes.”
A resident of Malai Enclave, Mr Venkata Ramana, said that SCB’s clean-up operations were limited to the exit points of the lake. “It is done only to ensure the water flows from those points. The has lake never got a serious clean up”. Mr Sunil Nathani, Trimulgherry mandal revenue officer, said: “This lake was given to the tourism department in 1999. When a showcause notice was given to the tourism department asking for lake development, we received a reply stating that they would soon start something but nothing has materialised till date.”
He said if the tourism department decided to take action if the office could take a decision about whom to hand over the responsibility.
SCB vice-president J. Rama Krishna said that the board in its recent meeting had decided to send a proposal to the state government regarding the designing of a ring sewerage system which would divert sewage away from the lake.
“The outlet will run along the circumference of the lake and help in reducing pollution,” he said.
H3
