Uncontrolled sewage release has been choking a lake in Trimulgherry that was once destined to become a tourist attraction.
Called the Trimulgherry Lake, the water body is nestled between the prime colonies of Secunderabad Cantonment, but its contents belies its location. Untreated sewage from its neighbourhood has turned it into a cesspool and a thriving ground for swine. A scan of the neighbourhood reveals constructions.
Open drains run straight into the lake, their paths circumvented by homes that have come up in the close vicinity of the lake.
“A drain carrying sewage from Lal Bazar runs into the lake while another carries from a place called Chinna Kamela. Houses have come up on the drains, which have not been covered though funds were sanctioned for covering these drains,” said N. Venkata Ramana, a resident of the area. The custodianship of the lake was passed onto the Tourism Department for development more than a decade ago, but those did not materialise, officials say. Eventually, the land was handed back to the Revenue Department, where it now rests.
“The land is with the Revenue Department. The decision to conserve or develop it rests either with the GHMC or the Secunderabad Cantonment Board. A discussion with the cantonment board CEO is on the agenda,” said Trimulgherry MRO N. Sunil.
The CEO of Secunderabad Cantonment Board, S.V.R. Chandrashekar, said the lake has the potential for development given its location. “The SCB does not have the technical wherewithal to conserve the lake. The work is cut out for an expert agency and needs the State government’s intervention,” he said.
