130 lakes in city to be beautified

• Govt allocates Rs 32.50 crore for the first time

• A joint effort by HMDA and the LPC

It is a known fact that lakes in the city have taken a beating due to encroachment, rising pollution levels and the obvious -- lack of maintenance. Many environmental NGOs had reprimanded the government for their lackadaisical approach towards protection of lakes. They highlighted a number of lakes which did the vanishing act due to the government’s apathy.

The aggressive campaigning by the NGOs seems to have jolted the government which has now released Rs 32 crore for the beautification of lakes in the city. This is a noteworthy move as it is the first time that the government has cleared funds for the beautification of lakes

The four-year wait for Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Lake Protection Committee (LPC) is finally set to bear fruits. The state government has cleared the administrative hurdles for releasing Rs 32.50 crore to beautify as many as 130 lakes in the city. It has to be remembered that such efforts to beautify lakes had once been made from 2002 to 2006 with Rs 200 crore funds issued by Netherlands Government. Back then, HUDA was at the helm of affairs. 87 lakes were identified and resurrected under the Green Hyderabad Environment Programme (GHEP). Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) were constructed in the catchment areas of 9 lakes and parks at lakes too were developed. However, when the HMDA was constituted in 2008, no such efforts took place until the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) joined hands to resurrect the Hussain Sagar under the Hussain Sagar Lake & Catchment Area Improvement Project (HCIP). On April 6, 2010, a LPC was constituted by GO 157. It has nearly been four years since the HMDA and the LPC were waiting and lobbying for funds to resurrect and beautify the lakes. Last September, the governing body of the LPC, headed by chief secretary PK Mohanty, identified the need to beautify 250 lakes. Of the 250 lakes, 120 lakes are under the control of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), 80 under the HMDA and 50 under the Irrigation Department. Administrative clearances were completed for Rs 20 crore to beautify the lakes under the HMDA and Rs 12.50 crore for lakes under the Irrigation Department. It should be noted that this is the first time that the government has cleared funds for protecting the lakes. The 50 lakes under the Irrigation Department lie mostly in Ghanapur in Medchal Mandal, Bachupally and other panchayats in Qutubullapur mandals.

The lakes to be beautified under the HMDA haven’t been finalised yet and the joint committee of the HMDA and the LPC would be meeting shortly to finalise the list. Speaking to Hyderabad Hans, activist and founder of Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL), Jasveen Jairath, said, “Rs 32.50 crore for 130 lakes will average out to only Rs 25 lakh per lake. There is no point in beautifying the lakes if sewage from the nalas, continue to enter the lake. Saroornagar Lake serves as a classic example to this. The government has developed a beautiful park but ignored the large nala that dumps sewage into the lake. Beautifying lakes piece meal wise is not enough. A citywide plan has to be implemented to treat the sewage and stop it from entering the lakes.”