HYDERABAD: Even as concerns mount over tree felling and infrastructure activity around the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, environmentalists have now turned their gaze inward — to the park’s polluted lake.
Fresh allegations have emerged that a stormwater drain (SWD) meant to channel clear rainwater into the waterbody has been deliberately blocked, even as sewage continues to flow in from surrounding localities. With walkers reporting no improvement despite past interventions, the lake’s ecological health is once again under scrutiny.
The issue surfaced after recent rainfall when an environmentalist and regular walkers noticed that an SWD connecting the park’s walking track to the lake had been blocked by a large stone placed at the mouth of the inlet pipe. The drain is designed to carry rainwater collected from the walking circuit into the lake during the monsoon.
“The stone appears to have been deliberately placed. It is not something that could have naturally washed into position. The drain meant to carry clean rainwater has been blocked while sewage continues to enter the lake,” an environmentalist alleged.
A post by Vata Foundation on X stated: “KBR Park in the heart of Hyderabad is already getting choked by concrete outside in the form of flyovers and underpasses. The lake inside the park too needs immediate attention. The lake inside KBR is being fed with sewage while stormwater is being blocked from entering the lake. Why?”
Walkers said the blocked inlet is one of several stormwater connections feeding the lake. They alleged that other drains entering from the Film Nagar side have long been carrying sewage and polluted water, making the obstruction of a clean-water inlet particularly worrying.
The issue adds to complaints dating back to 2023, with residents, walkers and environmentalists alleging that sewage from surrounding residential and commercial areas enters stormwater drains connected to the park before flowing into the lake and downstream waterbodies.
Reports over the past several years have documented sewage inflows from Film Nagar and nearby localities. In June 2024, visitors told media outlets that a drainage segregation pump installed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) had failed to permanently resolve the problem, with sewage continuing to enter the lake and flow towards Lotus Pond.
Sources familiar with the issue said authorities have been relying on a temporary sump-and-pump arrangement to divert sewage. Environmental groups, however, contend that the measure has not provided a lasting solution and contaminated water continues to enter the lake.
Activists have also flagged structural damage near the waterbody. A section of the retaining wall adjoining the lake has reportedly collapsed and remains unrepaired. Some suspect recent underground utility works, including optical fibre cable laying, may have weakened the structure, although this could not be independently verified.
According to Telangana Pollution Control Board data, the lake’s dissolved oxygen level averages around 4 mg/l against the required 10 mg/l, indicating poor water quality and ecological stress.
Although the Water Board installed a drainage segregation pump following repeated complaints, regular walker S Srinivas said it had made little difference. “The drainage pump installed near Taj Mahal Hotel in Film Nagar was supposed to prevent polluted water from entering the lake, but there has been no improvement,” he said.
An HMWSSB official told TNIE, “The issue will be examined and we will ensure that clean rainwater enters the lake during the monsoon.”
