HYDERABAD: With plastic waste piling up along the shoreline of Hussainsagar, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has decided to procure an additional amphibious long boom excavator to strengthen cleaning operations at the lake.
The shoreline is covered with polythene bags, plastic cups, thermocol, food wrappers, cloth bags and other debris, much of it entering the lake through both point and non-point pollution sources. Domestic sewage continues to flow in through Balkapur, Banjara, Kukatpally and Picket nalas, while industrial effluents mixed with sewage enter via the Kukatpally nala.
Solid waste dumping into nalas and litter from commercial establishments along the lakefront further add to the pollution load. Non-point sources include puja material, dried flowers and garlands, idol immersions and litter left behind by visitors and tourists.
HMDA officials said large quantities of solid waste are being carried into the lake through nalas and surrounding activities, making regular cleaning increasingly difficult.
To address this, the authority has decided to engage an agency to supply and commission a hydraulic-operated amphibious long boom excavator, along with two years of comprehensive operation and maintenance at Hussainsagar.
The excavator will have a minimum digging depth of seven metres from either side, a bucket capacity of 0.5 cubic metres, a cold-start system and compliance with the latest pollution emission norms. It will be capable of operating on land, shallow water and deep-water zones of the lake.
The selected agency will be responsible for collecting floating vegetation, debris, trash and accumulated silt from the lake and its shoreline, and transporting the waste to designated disposal points identified by HMDA.
At present, HMDA is implementing several works under the Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project, including floating material and shoreline cleaning, interception and diversion of sewage inflows, setting up of sewage treatment plants and dredging of sediments.