400-year-old Neknampur lake choking on toxic froth, GHMC eyes wide shut

HYDERABAD: The famed Neknampur lake is crying. The 400-year-old waterbody is in dire need of restoration and GHMC, custodian of the lake, seems to be finally getting its act together by promising to rid the waterbody of encroachers and toxic froth.

Members of Neknampur lake restoration committee are livid with the civic officials for neglecting to even mark the lake’s full tank level (FTL), take up fencing and sewage diversion works despite repeated pleas. The result is the lake is now full of chemical pollutants laced with domestic sewage let into it by the housing colonies which have mushroomed in and around the lake area. For that matter, lakes across the city, like Neknampur, are pillaged by big builders, who destroyed these man-made water storage systems that helped keep drought and flood at bay.

The FTL, which marks the height of the weir to the bottom of the lake, corresponding to the boundary area demarcates the area of the lake. “As long as the lakes have an FTL that is being maintained, none of the lakes is harmed. It is important that the authorities prioritise these issues and address them immediately,” said Manoj Kumar, member of the restoration committee and general secretary of Alkapur township.

The members said the lake protection committee which had decided to conduct a survey and fix the FTL for all lakes and complete the process within three months is also yet to get its act together.

When contacted, senior GHMC officials told STOI that works are under way. “A final notification for restoration of 50 out of the total 185 lakes was issued and published in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) website. A notification for the rest of the lakes will also be issued soon. Works to repair and restore the lakes had delayed due to the elections. We will take up the works soon,” said GHMC superintendent engineer (lakes) Gangadhar Reddy.

It was during Ibrahim Qutb Shah’s great grandson Abdullah Qutb Shah’s rule that the lake received water when one of his nobleman Reza Quli named Neknam Khan commissioned a channel. Instead of receiving water from the Musi river, the lake received water from a series of lakes behind the Golconda fort. The waterbody later came to be known as Neknampur lake after the nobleman.