Dodlavani, Bogamdani Lakes Missing, Not Found

Hyderabad:The Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) is facing a peculiar problem. That of missing water bodies.

Two water bodies, for which the TGPCB has no data since 2018, are Dodlavani Kunta and Bogamdani Kunta in Gajularamam falling in the GHMC’s Kukatpally zone. After apparently searching for years for the two water bodies, the PCB in August wrote to the GHMC seeking ‘identification’ of the lakes.

The PCB’s monthly reports over the years, also point to how encroachments have made it impossible for its staff to even access some of the lakes, while several others are listed as infested with water hyacinth, and other water plants that make it impossible to collect samples.

In an indication of how encroachments have been impacting water flow in the GHMC area, and into the water bodies, the reports of PCB’s monthly monitoring of lakes and tanks for this year from January to September show that of against a list of 37 listed lakes as dry or dried up this January, by September only 15 received water with the rest 22 described as being dry.

At least nine water bodies were listed as inaccessible including Bulbulkunta in Rajendranagar, HMT lake in Quthbullapur, Teegalasagara Cheruvu in Patancheru.

The PCB’s reports also reiterate just how polluted the aquatic systems across the city and the rest of the GHMC area are. Of the 185 tanks and lakes in the PCB’s list for water quality checks, for September, data was available for 119 waterbodies. Of these only 15 had dissolved oxygen levels bordering on the minimum levels required for bathing as per Central Pollution Control Board standards which specify dissolved oxygen levels must be at least 5mg per litre of water.

Incidentally, all the water bodies from which samples were tested, showed that every one of them was infested with coliform bacteria indicating that not a single water body in the GHMC area is free from domestic sewage making it unfit for any human use with coliform bacteria found in every tested sample.

A mind-numbing figure of more than 1,600 coliforms in 100 ml of water was found at Pedda Cheruvu at Khajaguda in Serilingampally mandal indicating that the water body was nothing more than a cesspool of sewage. Only 10 water bodies for which samples were tested in September had coliform counts in double digits, but as per CPCB standards, for water to be declared clean, there should be no coliform bacteria.

Water bodies in GHMC

Lakes & tanks: 185

Not found: 2

Dry : 22

Data available: 119

Health status of water bodies

Coliform bacteria found: 119

Highest: Pedda Cheruvu, Khajaguda, more than 1,600 in 100 ml water

Coliform count in double digits: 10 lakes

Less than permissible dissolved oxygen: 104 lakes