Facing threats of various kinds, Ibrahim Cheruvu in Rajendranagar is now a favourite dumping spot for construction debris.
Concrete waste
On Wednesday alone, a local activist observed that a truck had made four trips to the periphery area of the lake to unload the concrete waste.
It is a clear case of encroachment in broad daylight, said Madhulika Chowdhary, founder of a voluntary organisation, Dhruvansh, which is involved in rejuvenation of Neknampur and Ibrahim Cheruvu lake.
“We were at the lake to survey it for one of our programmes. We spotted a truck dumping the waste near the lake. This has been going on for sometime despite we alerting the officials. The custodians of a temple located near the lake are trying to encroach the water body. We suspect that the debris is being transported from Neknampur village to the lake only for dumping,” she said.
Alarmed by the illegal activity, Ms. Chowdhary complained to the officials of various departments with proofs including police, HMDA and revenue to curb it.
‘Illegal extraction’
“I complained to the police officials and the local Sarpanch, but they did not respond. The HMDA officials said they will look into the matter,” she said.
“We have been fighting to prevent garbage dumping and illegal extraction of lake water. Even though we are trying to clear the water hyacinth and initiate steps to save the lakes, the encroachers are going about with their work,” she said.
According to her, a gate has been installed to prevent such activity but there is no caretaker to close the gate or report such sightings. She, along with the members of the organisation, appealed to the authorities to act and save the lake.
