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Lake-lustre affair at Yellamma Cheruvu

Osama Salman | January 24, 2012 | 0 Comments

When you visit a lake, you’d expect to see clean water and scenic beauty. However, your expectations will be shattered as soon as you visit Yellamma Cheruvu in Kukatpally.

According to a report by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) dated July 20, 2010, the lake contains contaminated water. This is the reality of Yellamma Cheruvu that is shrinking due to encroachment and extreme water pollution.

Yellamma Cheruvu, located near Husnabad Bus Stop, is a dying lake, says Jasveer Jairath, member, Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL). One of Hyderabad’s top real-estate developers has encroached upon the land reclaimed from the lake shrinking its size, she alleges. “Despite a Supreme Court order to remove all illegal construction near the lake, nothing has been done so far,” she said.

When Postnoon contacted Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), a senior official said that he wasn’t aware of this lake as they only looked after major lakes in the City.

“Pollution levels are staggering because sewage water is let into it. The water can only be used for irrigation. We will conduct another round of tests in a few weeks to determine if the pollution levels have increased,” said Dr P Ramesh Chandra, senior environmental engineer, APPCB.

Jasveer also points out that there is a buffer zone of 30 metres from the Full Tank Limit (FTL) and in this zone, nothing can be constructed. “This has clearly been violated,” she adds.

According to a report filed by the government, construction on Survey Nos 147, 146, 151 and 152, belonging to the same real-estate developer, was found to have encroached the lake.

Apparently, the FTL marked by stones, was found hidden by dried-up branches and leaves when SOUL conducted a survey of the lake. In fact, a letter dated July 11, 2011 revealed that the Mandal Revenue Office was not able to demarcate the FTL of this lake. The debris and sand that was dumped into the lake, is well beyond the FTL stones, indicating encroachment, points out Jasveer.

Ironically, encroachers have even built a temple on the banks of Yellamma Cheruvu. Meanwhile, residents of the surrounding colonies are crying foul over the increasing stench emanating from the lake. “When I moved here six years ago, the lake was relatively less polluted. Due to development, the pollution levels have increased. The stench is unbearable in the rainy season,” says Indrajith Menon, a businessman.

Vishal Rochiramani, a resident, pointed to the algae-infested water and said, “This is a clear indication of how polluted this lake is. Residents choose to let the waste water flow into the lake. The lake has been shrinking in size too,” he says.

“I have been living here ever since I was born. Until about 15 years ago, I used to swim in the lake with my friends. It was very clean and we used to spot plenty of birds. That is a rare sight now. This lake was beautiful and needs to be restored urgently before we lose it completely,” says Rahul Saraf, a property owner.