HYDERABAD: The once pristine and placid Upparpally lake in Attapur is now turning into a cesspool with a huge volume of sewage being let out into it and several apartments are coming up in its full tank level, restricting its size further. With the shrinking of the polluted lake emitting a stench that could put a skunk to shame, GHMC is now planning to clean the water body through bio-remediation methods on the lines of Hussain Sagar lake.
A visit to the Upparpally lake exposes the pathetic condition in which the lake is. The lake is cluttered with filth and garbage. Land sharks are having a field day in encroaching land in the FTL while the GHMC officials remain callous to what is happening to the lake. As apartments and houses do not have any place to let out sewage, it is being sent into the lake without a care in the world. This has led to the profuse growth of algae and hyacinth.
When contacted, civic officials blamed the revenue and irrigation department for the sorry state of affairs. But equally responsible are the town planning wing of the Charminar zone of the GHMC for keeping silent even though massive destruction of the lake had be-en taking place at a rapid pace.The lake once used to be in an area of 12 acres with a circumference of 1.1 km but over time it has shrunk drastically on account of encroachments.
BIOREMEDIATION: With the lake condition deteriorating fast with each passing day due to pollution, GHMC has proposed a bioremediation method to improve the condition of the lake similar to Hussainsagar lake.It has invited tenders for cleaning of the lake by bio-remediation method with annual maintenance to keep the pond stench free and non-contaminated.
The agency has to ensure all the water in the lake is made clean within a period of one year after initial cleaning period of three months. Cleaning and maintenance mean maintaining desirable chemical characteristics of the lake water. It also includes removing vegetation which includes aquatic weeds, water hyacinth, etc. by mechanical means and maintenance by bio- remedial techniques.