An exploited lake or encroached lake? Rather, an elusive lake, for someone who sets on an arduous task of spotting the water body. The Premajipet lake, spread over Kattedan and Rajendranagar areas, is neither in the radar of the green activists nor caught the attention of the administration. Shrinking, but still sitting pretty between the hills on one side and bulldozing industrial units on the other, the lake is literally out of bounds for anyone who even wants to catch a glimpse of it.
Picture this. The officials of Pollution Control Board either jump the dangerously positioned metal fences or high walls to take samples from the lake every two months. Sometimes, this often involves ‘trespassing’ into private properties that have come up all along the banks of the lake. Most of these properties are nothing but extensions of the refineries, rubber and textile units situated there. The lake is so much shielded that many of the locals are either clueless about its existence or take time to give directions on how to reach the place.
If encroachments are one side of the story then the unabated pumping of effluents is a graver issue. A stroll near the lake is enough to gauge the seriousness of the issue given the changing colour of lake water or the emanating stench. To make matters worse, there are no special measures being taken by the concerned authorities like installation of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to clean up the lake in spite of its proximity to hazardous industries.
