HYDERABAD: Water in Osmansagar is well below the dead storage level. In fact, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has stopped updating its water levels on the official website after the lake went dry. However, according to official sources, the water board is still drawing water from the lake using pumps and supplying it to parts of Old City.
“Osmansagar is crucial as it is the only water body that supplies water to Asif Nagar and Mir Alam filter beds. From here, it is supplied to Old City.”
Speaking to Express, city-based lake protection activist Lubna Sarwath said, “Despite plenty of rain last year, no water has flowed into the lake due to the encroachments that had come up in the areas surrounding Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. This has effectively reduced the flow of water into the lake. Let’s hope that during this monsoon, the water gets replenished.”
The current water level at Osmansagar is 0.02 tmcft, which, according to officials, is lower than what was in 2013. Same goes for the neighbouring Himayatsagar. Water is still being drawn from these sources using pumps as the level is so low that it can’t be pulled with the help of gravity.