HYDERABAD: In its latest publication ‘Compendium of best practices in Water Management 3.0’, the Neknampur lake in Hyderabad has been lauded by the NITI Aayog as the best in lake restoration. Dhruvansh organisation, launched by Madhulika Choudhary, began restoration work at the lake in 2016.
Prior to the restoration work, the 25-acre lake was plagued by garbage, sewage, water hyacinths, cultural siltation and debris dumping. Desilting of the lake was carried out and phytoremediation (using plants to remove contaminants) and bioremediation (use of microorganisms to remove contaminants) techniques were employed. Floating bikes were installed in the lake to remove floating garbage. Measures are being taken to stop the breeding of invasive species such as catfish and red-eared terrapin.
The report noted that the rejuvenation of the lake and cultural rejuvenation is happening parallelly at Neknampur. The lake has become a venue for diverse cultural programmes. A separate immersion pond has also been created for cultural celebrations.
The report stated that there has been a 90 per cent reduction in the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of the lake. Due to the interventions, there is no foul odour, even though sewage is still coming into the lake. The spread of water hyacinths is also under control.