Langar Houz lake crusaders slam trash assault

HYDERABAD: The Langar Houz lake is strewn with garbage and the foul smell in the area is unbearable, say morning walkers and residents living nearby.
Mustafa Ali, a resident of the area, says, “The lake is nothing more than a dumpyard for people. The civic body that is lacking in staff is struggling to clear the premises.”
Not only is waste all around, Ali says, there are more dogs than people in the area which end up eating and spreading the garbage, making matters worse.
Mohammed Abdul Khader, whose brother lives in the area, also says that the situation is getting out of hand. “We keep cleaning the area but there is a lack of awareness among people. Many locals openly admit to throwing garbage in the lake. They say GHMC’s garbage pickers do not come regularly to the area so they do not have a choice.”
While the lake has been walled, residents say at many places this has been broken. “The wall has been smashed at several points because people living in Ahmed Colony, Afsar Khan colony and other areas to the back of the lake do not have any access point. However, once breaches have been created, these are used by people for illegal activity. Many locals skip paying entry fee this way and others dump their waste. At night some youngsters even enter through the breaches and use drugs.”
Aziz Mohammed, another resident says, “There is no police patrolling here at all. Guards must be placed at different spots so that the lake is saved from nuisance makers. If people are prevented from throwing their garbage here, those living nearby can at least have healthy lives without the stench and mosquitoes. Besides this, unruly elements will be kept at bay.”
When contacted, irrigation department officials said the matter has to be dealt with by the sanitation wing of the GHMC. However, repeated calls and messages sent to the sanitation in-charge went unanswered.