HYDERABAD: Environmental activists have appealed to the Telangana High Court to protect the Khajaguda Talab which is also known as Pedda Cheruvu located in Serilingampally mandal, from encroachment and dumping of debris and mud in the water.
Addressing the media on Sunday, the activists maintained that outflow channel encroachment is taking place at the lake and that the cascading heritage weir and bund is being demolished and levelled. Activists Dr Lubna Sarwath and Krishna Kumari will submit video evidence and geo-tagged pictures along with a written affidavit to the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court this week.
According to Sarwath, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked between the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and an NGO called ‘United Way of Hyderabad’ in 2018 for the protection of the lake. She alleged that the NGO has no history of lake conservation activities and that the organization does not have the approval of the ward committee.
In 2014, Sarwath had written to the Lake Protection Committee to recognize a smaller lake downside of the weir of the Khajaguda Talab. She contends that the smaller lake is totally encroached on now. Sarwath said that the outflow channel of the Khajaguda Talab carries frothy waters to the downstream Manikonda Yellamma Cheruvu. Heavily polluted liquid wastes are entering the lake from the north and the Engineering Staff College of India (ESCI) roadside, the activists said.
In October this year, Sarwath appealed to the High Court Chief Justice to set up an ecological heritage bench for the restoration of the Musi River and other water bodies in the State. Stating that there has been no response till now, she said that she will file a public interest litigation (PIL) if necessary.“The (Khajaguda) lake has to be rescued. Every lake is a paradise,” she said.