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Citizens clean up Fox Sagar
In a coordinated effort, the WWF-India, in association with the Telangana State Special Protection Force (TSSPF), Gitanjali School and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), thoroughly cleaned up the Fox Sagar Lake, also called Jeedimetla Cheruvu, near Kompally in the city on Saturday.
Hyderabad: In a coordinated effort, the WWF-India, in association with the Telangana State Special Protection Force (TSSPF), Gitanjali School and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), thoroughly cleaned up the Fox Sagar Lake, also called Jeedimetla Cheruvu, near Kompally in the city on Saturday.
Considered among the top five lakes in the city in terms of size, the Fox Sagar Lake spread over 480 acres was constructed by the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1897 as part of 31 lakes to improve water sources for the city. However, the lake is a pale shadow of its former self as industrial and medical waste has been dumped over the years polluting it badly.
In the clean-up drive on Saturday, more than 200 volunteers worked from 6 am to 10 am and collected over 100 tonnes of industrial and medical waste. Workers from the irrigation department too removed invasive plant species. Speaking to The Hans India, Farida Tampal, state director, WWF-India Hyderabad office, said, “We would be taking up a comprehensive wetland health analysis that includes soil and water quality apart from biological monitoring that entails the study of aquatic and plant life.”
Challenges
Activists say that if the lake is to be brought back to its pristine form, all line agencies need to work in tandem. Of late, a few burial grounds have sprung up at the mouth of the lake and industrial waste on the Jeedimetla side of the lake is posing danger.
In what can be termed as a shot in the arm, the Ram Jethmalani Foundation has pledged support for a period of two years which is extendable based on the results. On Saturday, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) pressed into service five lorries to transfer the waste. A team of 40 officers from the TSSPF, 100 students from Gitanjali school, 80 workers from the GHMC, volunteers from St Francis Degree College, ICFAI Law School and WWF team took part in the cleaning programme. Revathi Balakrishnan, a volunteer said, “As a child, I remember flamingos and grey herons used to visit the lake. We want them to be back and that is the reason why I am volunteering.”
A proposal for an STP is now with the government but a concerted effort from all stake holders is needed to rejuvenate the lake. The Telangana Police adopted the lake, WWF India Hyderabad office is pitching in but unless the line departments and the locals do not wake up and do their bit, the lake would not survive, says Farida.
