HYDERABAD: Gone are the days when fishing was a common sight in hundreds of lakes dotting the city. Today, across the entire 650 sq km area lying within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, there are only 12 lakes identified by the fisheries department which have water fit enough for fish to survive as the rest cannot support marine life. The fisheries department releases fish seedlings just after the monsoon every year into lakes across the state that fall under any of the fishermen’s co-operative societies and the exercise is conducted in Greater Hyderabad as well. Apart from Hyderabad the exercise is conducted in parts of Rangareddy, Medchal and Sangareddy districts.
In Greater Hyderabad there are 62 lakes which are under the control of various fishermen’s co-operative societies. Unfortunately, the fisheries department could identify only 12 lakes which have the requisite quality of water into which fish seedlings can be released as the rest have been found to be highly polluted. Last year, around 15 lakh fish seedlings were released into the 12 lakes falling within Greater Hyderabad limits.
This year, fish seedlings will be released into these lakes in July. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in lake water plays an important role in determining if a lake is fit for fish survival or not apart from some other parameters, mainly nitrates and ammonia.
As per the water quality data of about two dozen lakes and tanks within GHMC limits that Telangana State Pollution Control Board regularly monitors, apart from a couple of water bodies, DO levels are found to be 1 or 2 milligrams/litre (mg/L) in all other water bodies. Fish seedlings are released into water bodies which have DO levels of at least 6 or 7 mg/L so that fish can survive, officials said.
Moreover, nitrate level should be lower than 0.1 mg/L in water bodies if fish seedlings are to be released. But, in almost all the lakes in the city the nitrate levels range between 2 and 16 mg/L, with most of them having levels between 6 and 9 mg/L. Ammonia values have also been observed to be above the required values.
Lakes fit for fish seedlings
Peddacheruvu, Meerpet
Chandramma-Cheruvu, Karmanghat
Bhagirathamma-Cheruvu, Puppalguda
Mastaicheruvu, Narsingi
Appicheruvu, Gaganpahad
Ellamma-Cheruvu, Manikonda
Gopicheruvu, Shaikpet
Eerlacheruvu & Patelcheruvu, Madinaguda
Ibrahimcheruvu, Rajendranagar
Fox Sagar, Jeedimetla