A puzzling sight greets one at this lake on the city outskirts. A fast-growing water hyacinth on one side and a floating Dredger Utility Craft (DUC) on the other can be seen on the surface of the 80-acre Ibrahim Cheruvu at Neknampur village. More than the seaweed, the problem is the unused DUC, say the local residents.
Last month, the HMDA had handed over the machine to the members of Dhruvansh, an NGO involved in the beautification of Neknampur and Ibrahim Cheruvu. While the gesture is commendable, the government agency has neither allotted resources nor released funds to put the machine to good use. The members have now submitted a representation to the State government in this regard.
“We do not have the funds for workers or fuel needed to use the machine to clean the lake,” says Madhulika S. Choudhary of Dhruvansh. “We have asked the State government to release ₹24 lakh. The estimation is based on the exact expenditure needed to clear the water hyacinth from the entire lake in six months.”
The organisation has also requested the authorities to sanction a floating solar power plant. If installed, the lake would be the first in the State to have itthe solar system. According to Ms. Choudhury, the plant would help take care of the electricity needs required to restore the lake and beautify it.
The organisation has also been conducting awareness campaigns in the nearby schools and residential colonies on the importance of preserving the lake.
The Neknampur lake and Ibrahim Cheruvu also have a historical importance and is part of the heritage of the city as it was built by Ibrahim Qutub Shah, a ruler of the Golconda.
