HYDERABAD: The primary objective of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) is not to preserve the tanks by demolishing all the existing structures in the Full Tank Level (FTL) area but to prevent the new structures from emerging, said Commissioner AV Ranganath on Friday.
He chaired a brainstorming session titled “Rejuvenation of Urban Lakes & Nalas Fixing of the FTL boundaries” organised by the agency at its office where the discussion pertained to conservation, restoration, FTL determination and flood water canal conservation in Telangana. The session was attended by several noted environmentalists, professors, engineers and retired and serving officials from the Pollution Control Board (PCB), Irrigation and other departments.
The HYDRAA chief noted that the agency will be using cutting-edge technology to control illegal structures and will receive an alert if any illegal structure is built in the lake bed region.
Additionally, the agency will form an expert committee with the information to determine the boundaries of the tanks after taking into consideration the water area in the tank and maps by survey of India maps and villages.
Ranganath said the agency has razed the structures of people who changed their survey numbers, owing to fear of demolition. He added that the structures built without permission will be demolished be it of anybody.
Regarding the revival of Bathukamma Kunta lake in Amberpet, Ranganath stated that the agency will be filing a counter-petition to get the court order vacated while noting that the aim is to prevent new structures from emerging.
Ranganath also noted that the residents are keeping an eye on the lakes to ensure that they are not encroached on, adding that people became aware of the FTL and buffer zones after the recent demolitions.
Experts speak
PG Shastry, former NIT Warangal Director, pointed out that it is not stored in lakes causing problems but the water inundation in Hyderabad as there is no proper channel for rainwater to reach the tanks amid dense habitation and encroachment. He urged the HYDRAA to create a comprehensive plan of conveyance for rainwater to overcome the issue.
A PCB official, while pointing out that around 40 to 43 of the total 185 lakes in Hyderabad remain continuously dry, stated that building STPs might not be a working solution as they are only meant to remove biological and not industrial waste.
Noting the significance of a lake, environmentalist BV Subba Rao pointed out that if one lake is lost, then around 250 species of birds go away. He pressed upon the need to create a monitoring system for STPs, ETPs and CETPs while noting that HYDRAA needs to have multiple disciplinary teams. Experts also stressed upon to bring awareness towards rainwater harvesting among people.