HYDERABAD: While passing through NTR Marg, Tank Bund and Necklace Road one would experience a nauseating smell emanating from Hussainsagar. The foul smell is due to an algal bloom in the lake. As the temperatures continue to rise, there is a rapid increase of algal growth as well as weeds and hyacinth in the polluted waters.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) officials told Express that soaring temperatures and fewer oxygen levels in the lake are said to be the reasons leading to the spread of this thick algal bloom along the shorelines of the lake.
The HMDA has pressed floating trash collector, men and material for clearing the algal weed from the lake. The process of clearing algae would be completed in a day or two. This is a common phenomena during summer seasons and this year the temperatures have already crossed 40 degrees Celsius.
The rising temperatures in the city, coupled with the letting out partly-treated sewage into the Hussainsagar has resulted in a sudden algal bloom leading to the formation of a sticky green layer over the water surface.
The bad odour is attributed to an algal bloom that worsens during summer. Increased evaporation too results in a higher concentration of pollutants in the water. The officials attributed the smell to dredged piles of waste lying by the lakeside.
The pollutants and stagnation have, however, resulted in reduced oxygen levels in the water. HMDA, however, said that the parameters of water quality in relation to odour were well within limits, due to the ongoing bio-remediation attempts for the last several months.