Hyderabad’s Fresh Water Bodies Are Calling For Help

Freshwater bodies are turning into sewage water dumps as the wastes from the nearby villages and the colleges have been releasing their contaminated water into the freshwater bodies. Despite issuing notices to the administration of the colleges and the villages, it has been neglected. Earlier, The High Court also directed the administrations of the colleges to build Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) to remove contaminants from the wastewater. It is reported that the Panchayat raj department is delaying the release of funds for the construction of Sewage Treatment Plants in the villages which were estimated at Rs 27.50 crores.

Putting aside the Government Order 111, prohibiting the establishments of industries and other structures to come up within 10 km radius of the Himayathsagar and Osman Sagar tanks, there are many illegal constructions in the place. The Revenue department, water board had identified irregularities such as Sand mining, constructing multi-storey buildings, long compound walls which stop the rainwater into the tanks in 84 villages in Gandipet, Shamshabad, Moinabad, Rajendranagar and Shankarpally mandals to which the GO is applicable. Due to this the level of water in the tanks have been decreasing.

The tanks Osman Sagar and Himayathsagar spread an area of over 10000 acres. The households in 11 villages nearby, commercial establishments and industries around the tanks have been dumping contaminated water into the tanks. So far, the government has decided to construct Sewage treatment Plants in 11 villages and directed the Panchayat Raj department and Pollution control board to release funds for the same but action to release funds have not put forward by the Panchayat Raj Department and Pollution Control Board.

The water reservoirs should be protected and also, Lake Protection Authority should be set up as per the guidelines of High Court to conserve reservoirs and Sewage Treat Plants (STP) should be set up in 42 Engineering colleges and the illegal constructions should be removed, says Environmentalist Sajjala Jeevananda Reddy.