HYDERABAD: With recent reports exposing the poor state of city lakes, environmental experts and activists have raised serious concerns over the government’s failure to disclose critical water quality data.
On July 8, TNIE published a report — Asanikunta is ‘dead’, pollution off the charts — highlighting the poor water quality of the Asanikunta lake. Experts noted that both Asanikunta and Sunnam Cheruvu, major urban lakes in the city, have been classified as Grade E, the worst possible water quality, since January. Yet, no public alert was issued.
Activists said the six-month delay in disclosure endangered public health and ecological balance. Grade E signifies water unfit for drinking, bathing, irrigation or industrial use, essentially biologically dead.
‘Not negligence, environmental misconduct’
“This isn’t just pollution, it’s institutional silence,” said Lubna Sarwath, lake conservationist and environmental activist. “Communities around these lakes were exposed to health and ecological risks without any warning. The fact that this condition continued for six months without any public alert is not negligence; it borders on environmental misconduct.
“Water with a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) above six and dissolved oxygen level below three is not just polluted. It’s dead water. It cannot support aquatic life,” she added.
An environmental lawyer, requesting anonymity, said withholding such information may violate the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. “The public has a legal right to know the state of local water bodies. This lack of disclosure breaches both legal and ethical duties.”
Urban health expert Dr Meera warned that if such lakes recharge borewells or lie close to residential zones, they could pose a silent but severe health threat. “Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable,” she said.
Even indirect exposure to E-grade water — via contaminated groundwater or airborne pollutants — can lead to skin diseases, respiratory issues and long-term toxicity, according to health experts.
Call for city-wide audit
As pressure mounts, environmentalists and civil society groups are now urging the Telangana High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue. Their demands include real-time water quality data for all lakes, a complete forensic audit of Hyderabad’s urban lakes and public advisories when water quality falls to C, D or E grade.
With more lakes reportedly showing signs of degradation, they call for a city-wide lake health review, involving an independent monitoring system.
“This city is losing its lakes; not just to pollution, but to secrecy,” said an environmentalist. “If we don’t treat this as an emergency, there will be nothing left to protect.”