HYDERABAD: In response to growing concerns over the pollution crisis in Durgam Cheruvu, a division bench of the Telangana High Court, headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, has set up an expert committee to investigate the matter. The committee, led by Dr Atul Narayana Vaidya, director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institution (NEERI), Nagpur, will be joined by representatives from the Telangana government and the Telangana High Court Legal Services Authority.
The court has directed the committee to conduct a thorough inspection of the water body and submit a comprehensive report within six weeks on the extent of pollution. The report is expected to include recommendations for necessary measures to safeguard the lake for future generations.The court has instructed the state police to provide necessary protection to the committee during their visit besides bearing all its expenses.
Emphasising the need for according priority to the protection of lakes, the court has warned the authorities from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and the State Pollution Control Board, against influencing the expert committee.
The court cited a recent study on Durgam Cheruvu conducted by a team of researchers from Mahindra University and the IIT - Hyderabad while constituting the expert committee.The study revealed alarming findings, identifying 183 compounds of organic micro-pollutants in the lake, including pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides, hormones, steroids, UV filters, cyanotoxins, metabolites, and even cocaine. The study suggested that these pollutants may have entered the lake through human consumption and effluent release from pharmaceutical units.
Environmentalists in the city have expressed deep concern over the findings, emphasising the need for urgent action to address the pollution crisis in Durgam Cheruvu. The court also highlighted the inadequacy of sewage treatment plants in the city and around Durgam Cheruvu, noting that the existing facilities are incapable of effectively removing organic micro-pollutants like drugs and antibiotics. This development comes as part of the court’s suo motu PIL based on a news report, and the court has appointed senior counsel Vedula Srinivas as amicus curiae to assist in the proceedings.