A labourer removing silt from a manhole with bare hands | Vinay Madapu
HYDERABAD: With the fresh spell of rains, the long-neglected Ramanna Kunta lake in Bowenpally has once again become a cesspool. Over 1,000 families living in three colonies around the lake are worried that the lake has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and, with heavy rains, water from the lake often enters their homes.
A Srinivas, who lives close to the lake, says that sewage from the surrounding Sitaramnagar and Saibaba colonies is directly let into the Ramanna Kunta, thereby polluting it. “We cannot even stand here in the evenings. When it rains heavily, the lake water enters our homes. Even otherwise, it has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he complains.
Another resident, K Mani Kumar said, “Many people fall sick here during the monsoon. Mosquitoes give us sleepless nights and on the streets there is no place to walk.” Ramanna Kunta falls under the A-1 category of lands which are under the purview of Local Military Authority and shares a boundary with GHMC limits. Drainage water from colonies upstream, located in GHMC areas, flow into the lake and has been polluting the lake.
According to SCB vice-president J Ramakrishna, the board has secured permission from the ministry of defence for beautifying the lake and diverting sewage. It has also received assurance from the state government of an allocation of `2.5 crore for the purpose. But nothing has taken shape on the ground. Earlier, the SCB had planned to divert the sewage flow to the main sewer in the vicinity but the LMA did not give it the permission, he says.
A year ago, MAUD minister KT Rama Rao had inspected the lake and its vicinity, and agreed to the need for diverting sewage flow by laying alternative pipeline. “The minister agreed to give funds. Kukatpally MLA Krishna Rao asked GHMC officials to prepare a plan and cost estimate. GHMC officials are on the job,” Ramakrishna adds.
