HYDERABAD: Environmental activists have appealed to the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court to set up an ecological heritage bench for the restoration of the Musi river and other water bodies across the State. Environmental activist Lubna Sarwath, in her appeal, highlighted the concretisation of the Musi river, situated right opposite to the high court and Osmania General Hospital (OGH). According to Sarwath, an exclusive bench for day-to-day hearings on ecological heritage is necessary to expedite the process. Seven cases filed by her are still pending before the high court, she said.
Increasing pollution
“Every day, every minute, water bodies in the city are polluted due to pollution and encroachments,” she laments. According to her, the Musi river is being polluted by dumping of debris and encroachments. In her appeal, Sarwath states, “The very purpose of constructions of public welfare institutions on the banks of Musi river is to prevent encroachments inside the river stands defeated by the State itself manufacturing land inside the river.”
Dried-up lakes
According to data from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), there are 185 lakes in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and as of 2023, 33 lakes have dried up, compared to 28 lakes earlier. The loss of water bodies leads to the loss of livelihoods for entire communities, Sarwath adds.“Fishermen can act as watchdogs of these water bodies. The government should form water-use associations with local stakeholders,” she suggested.