Another Hyderabad lake found frothing, civic officials pass the buck

HYDERABAD: The Annarayuni Cheruvu in Medchal district is spewing froth. While residents say that the water has become unusable, officials have turned a blind eye to the issue.
“There is a lot of froth coming into the lake from nearby industries, although we are not sure which industries are releasing this. Sewage and chemical water is mostly released from the Kapra lake side,” says Kasoju Vivek, who lives in the area and is pursuing an engineering degree.
Locals say the lake in Nagaram municipality has become a toxic cesspool. Prashanth Mamidala, who has been involved with the clean-up of the lake, said, “Imagine this toxic water is permeating into the ground and being used across houses.” He said despite repeated complaints to officials about froth, there has been no response.

For their part, officials have been passing the buck from one department to the other. When contacted, municipal commissioner Palla Reddy said, “Nagaram was just converted from a panchayat to a municipality. We will need time to look into the matter. In any case, the lake’s upkeep is the responsibility of the Hyderabad Municipal Development Corporation (HMDA).”
HMDA sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The froth could be a result of sewage water being let into the lake.” Without providing any conclusive answer regarding the source of the froth, an official said the department was largely responsible for the clearing up of water hyacinth and the irrigation department must look into pollutants in the lake.
Soujanya S, assistant executive engineer from the irrigation department, Keesara mandal, said, “Industrial waste from Kapra, combined with sewage water was polluting the lake.” However, continuing the blame game, she said municipal officials were the ones responsible to check where the sewer water is released.