Hyderabad: As happened last year, the current rain in Hyderabad led to many lakes overflowing and developing cracks in their embankments.
As a result, the water from the overflown lakes and rain enters into the localities and bastis in the neighborhood of these lakes causing great inconvenience to their inhabitants.
It is learned that within the jurisdiction of GHMC, around 120 lakes developed cracks in their embankments. The cracks in seven lakes are dangerously huge.
The lakes are filled with mud and as a result, the water is being wasted away due to its overflow.
The GHMC officials have conducted inspections of these lakes from September 29 to October 1. As per their initial estimate, Rs 15 crores are needed to start temporary repair work. Permanent repair works shall require Rs 45 crores.
Abnormal rain in the wake of Cyclone Gulab in the last week of September led to Hyderabad and Secunderabad and their neighbouring areas being submerged in the rainwater.
In order to assess the damage suffered by the lakes, 15 teams were set up comprising engineers and officials of various departments.
Apart from the inspection of 185 lakes and ponds by GHMC, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) also carried out inspections of seven lakes. Each of these inspecting teams consisted of an Irrigation Superintendent Engineer and engineers of the GHMC and HMDA. All 15 teams have submitted their reports with recommendations.
On the basis of these reports, the Chief Engineer of Irrigation Department prepared a comprehensive repair report and submitted it to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Ministry’s Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar.
The Irrigation Department Special Chief Secretary Rajat Kumar said that out of the 192 lakes inspected 72 are in good condition while 120 lakes developed cracks and were filled with mud. These lakes also have the outgrowth of wild plants and are filled with trash.
Rajat Kumar identified that the water is overflowing in many of these lakes as the water is beyond their storage capacity.
Similar instructions were also carried out in the wake of last year’s incessant rain and recommendations submitted to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Ministry.
Last year the lake embankments were repaired but again this year the same situation is prevailing. But, however, due to the repairing work last year, no big untoward incident happened this year.
As per the latest survey, the lake’s embankments are to be repaired immediately. The report submitted by the Irrigation Department Chief engineer states that Rs. 15 crores are urgently needed to carry out prompt repairing to fill the cracks in the embankment of the lakes.
There are seven lakes that developed dangerously huge cracks posing a big risk to the neighbourhood localities as the water is still entering into these localities.
The officials say that Rs 45 crore is needed to strengthen the embankments permanently.
The State government carried out repairing work under the “Mission Kakatiya” but unfortunately it is neglecting the lakes within the city. This is the reason why the rainwater is entering the housing colonies and causing great inconvenience to their inhabitants.
According to the experts, the firming up of the lakes’ embankments and the better drain water outlets can prevent such untoward incidents in the future.
Some of the recommendations submitted in the experts’ reports were to strengthen the lake embankments, desilt the lakes, remove the wild plant growth from them and save them from illegal encroachments.