Save the ancient city Hyderabad

Hyderabad is one of the most ancient cities of the world whose origin goes back to the 500 BC. The historic city has witnessed the glorious rule of the Mouryan, the Satavahanas, Ikshvaku dynasty and the Nizams. Temples of ancient origin are strewn all over the Telengana region. The Birla museum has preserved ancient temple idols from different ages. The great Hindu kings and the Nizams had built grand mosques, magnificent temples, forts, sparkling lakes, palaces, gardens and museums for the young generation to take pride in their rich cultural past. The remnants of the magnificent temples and mosques are still found in and around the Hyderabad city. Unfortunately the new generation is not able to preserve the monuments of glory which could fill them with confidence and self- respect. Over the years Hyderabad has shed much of it grace and glitter due to lack of development vision and foresight. Its lakes have become dry, its roads are no longer safe; its grape gardens have disappeared and its multiple springs are not visible. The cool zephyr which had once the music of nature is no longer heard.

Daily an average six people die in Hyderabad due to road accident and more than one hundred people get injured. Maneuvering potholes on roads, rash driving, overcrowded roads and inoperative traffic signals in some places are mainly responsible for fatal road accidents. The construction work of the metro rail aggravates the traffic woe. The construction of the metro rail should be faster where roads are narrow and crowded. There are motor cycle stunt men on the road who not only create panic but they cause accidents. Those Rambos on the bikes continue to create panic in the city. Those people should be picked up and given intensive training for bike race. The disappearance of foot path and the absence of foot over bridge create hell of a problem for the old people, women and children. Bad road, traffic congestion, air pollution not only kills huge productive hours but increases medical expenses of people who spend money in treating lungs relate diseases. More than 70% of the population in Hyderabad earns less than Rs 10,000 per month. Food inflation, education cost, house rent and health expenditure hit them hard. The current population of Hyderabad is estimated at 8 million and the city has the highest number of floating population in the country. In fact, the solution to urban problem in Hyderabad lies in reverse migration of people from city to villages. Before developing village amenities the reasons for poor amenities in villages should be thoroughly examined. Why do villagers migrate to cities? The reasons for migration are not investigated properly. Why people lose income in rural areas? Why people are not interested to stay in villages has to be examined properly? Instead of going for building smart cities there is an urgent need to save the existing cities by stopping migration from villages. This is the testing time for leaders who can prove their worth by restoring the glory of Hyderabad.

The ground water in Hyderabad has depleted to an alarming level due to over exploitation, lack of urban vision to introduce rain water harvesting structure in every building, errant realty sector growth and the spread of concrete areas. In Hyderabad, the ground water level has dropped by 3.88 meter between November 2010 and November 2011 according to a study. The contamination of ground water is very high in Hyderabad due to industrial pollution. Environmental scientists believe the ground water will go bone dry after a few years. Instead of going for expensive mega projects the government can think of low cost rain water harvesting structures in every building. The Nizams of Hyderabad have built lakes for meeting the drinking water need, for keeping the city’s temperature cool, for bathing and for beautification. Over the years two third of the surface water area in the city has disappeared. There should not be any construction within 500 meters from the lakes’ periphery. Lakes are the lifeline of Hyderabad which should be kept as natural as possible. Hyderabad which is the crucible of multiple cultures has to survive with all its glory.

By Sudhansu R Das