The waters are serene, with a fish or two springing from time to time, and an occasional bird swooping down on them. An angler or two meditate over the fishing rod, while a washerman thumps away on the farther end of the water spread.
The lake in Fathullaguda, recorded as Pathulguda Cheruvu, has mostly retained its charm despite the rapidly rising metropolis around it. With flood flows brought by the recent rains, the lake happily brims providing the much-needed reflective space.
Hemmed in on one side by the burgeoning colonies of Fathullaguda and Mattuguda villages, the threat of encroachments, however, is real for the water body. While agriculture is still on in bits and pieces, the farm lands are isolated entities amid developing concrete jungle, and do not depend on the lake any more. “This is the only water body which has retained its shape in the entire Nagole division,” says Corporator Sangeetha Prashanth Goud, smiling as she, along with GHMC Entomology officials, releases Gambusia fish into the lake for arresting mosquito larval spread.
It is also the only lake which is not cursed with the bane of urban sewage, which keeps the water pristine even during dry months.
Ms.Goud elaborates that the lake is not part of any chain link of water bodies, which is one of the reasons why it has retained its character. Irrigation maps show that the lake derives its inflows from the barren lands of Autonagar. “We, the residents, have refrained from letting our sewage into the lake. Initially, we had constructed a large sump where the sewage would be deposited, and later, we got proper connection from the water board,” explains P. Srinivasa Murthy, a resident of the neighbouring Ketana Avenue who owns a house here since 2004.
During the heavy rains of October, the residents did encounter flooding, as water from an unknown source upstream was blocked by structures. “A function hall premises was flooded, and the owner broke the compound wall to let the water out. The gushing flows entered homes, while finding their course towards the lake,” says Mr.Murthy.
Local residents spent sleepless night watching the bund, but no untoward incident had taken place, as the weir and surplus channel were not obstructed. Nevertheless, structures are slowly sprouting inside the full tank level (FTL) area with impunity. Two double-storey buildings which exist within the FTL even have permissions from the municipal authorities, and the wire mesh demarcating the FTL circumvents them cleverly.
Remnants of displaced FTL boundary lie in an open plot, together with those of the demolished boundary wall, which speak for the ongoing tussle between Town Planning officials and the plot owner.
There is no scope for encroachment from the foreshore side, thankfully, owing to the presence of the Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali National Park.
