Environmentalists want dewatering of Hussainsagar to be stopped

Hands over interim injunction of National Green Tribunal to Governor and concerned departments

Save Our Urban Lake (SOUL) members handed over the interim injunction of National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Bench to the top brass of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), Telangana Chief Secretary and Governor on Saturday evening in a bid to stop the dewatering project at Hussainsagar.

The NGT directed the State Government to stall the project and to restrain from dewatering the lake until further orders directed by the tribunal. The HMDA and GHMC went ahead and let out 300 cusecs of water from the lake into the Musi every day for the past few days and feigned ignorance of the interim in junction.

Environmentalists have been up in arms against the dewatering project ever since the government announced its intentions. Prof. Purushottam Reddy said that the government had been lying all along. Repeated RTI requests in February and in March elicited no clarity from the government. Another information sought under the RTI dated March 30 shows that the HMDA was not dealing with the dewatering project.”

He added that the government needs to call for a round table conference and prepare an action plan and place it on public domain. There has to be a scientific method to the dewatering project. Lubana Sarawath, co-convenor, SOUL, said, “We personally handed over the interim injunction to all the department heads including the Telangana Governor and expect the government to maintain status quo and stop discharge of water from Hussainsagar till further orders from NGT.

The State Government has committed illegal acts and contempt of court since May 1. In response to RTIs filed by SOUL, three agencies GHMC, HMDA and HMWSS&B disowned any plan or knowledge of dewatering Hussainsagar but went ahead with discharging the water.”