HYDERABAD: Ambitious plans were drawn up six years ago to protect over 3,000 lakes spread across seven districts of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) from encroachments by fixing full tank level (FTL). After six years, FTL of only 225 lakes (less than 10%) was fixed and boundaries notified. Ironically, irrigation and revenue department reports on survey numbers and extent of lakes do not match.
As a result, the water bodies have been encroached upon and hundreds of colonies came up in almost all lakes, including Ramannakunta, Bandlaguda Cheruvu near Nagole, Chinna Cheruvu at Ramanthapur, Malka Cheruvu, Malkaram Cheruvu, Shamirpet tank, Nalla Cheruvu, Nallagandla Cheruvu, Gosai Kunta and Errakunta, in the past decade.
Municipal administration department and lake protection committee (LPC) reports stated that of 3,534 lakes, a survey was done by a consultant on the condition of the water bodies in 2013-14. The consultant had completed survey of 3,029 lakes and the rest were not taken up. In other words, the government has no information on the condition of these lakes. Authorities identified mismatch on 311 lake reports of irrigation and revenue departments. Government sources said they could not complete the survey of the remaining lakes as they exist only on paper. Generally, after a survey is completed by the consultant, the irrigation department gives drawings and their remarks on the lakes. Based on their inputs, HMDA issues a preliminary notification. Revenue department has to match the cadastral maps with irrigation department maps on survey numbers and extent with their records and its clearance for giving final notification.
The LPC, in its previous meeting, expressed unhappiness over the progress of the survey and FTL fixation in Siddipet and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district as none of the 500 lakes was finalised.
“State government had taken up a similar exercise of identifying lakes in year 2000 after the flashfloods. Though 932 lakes were identified in an extent of 20,500 hectares in then HUDA jurisdiction, no measures were taken to protect them,” Forum for Sustainable Environment convenor S Jeevananda Reddy told TOI.
“The government is carrying out cosmetic changes which won’t give a permanent solution for the long-pending problem,” Jeevananda Reddy added.
Principal secretary of municipal administration and HMDA metropolitan commissioner Arvind Kumar did not respond to TOI for his comments on the issue.