OMG! Kamuni Cheruvu turns into encroachers’ paradise

Hyderabad: Kamuni Cheruvu, located in Kukatpally, is slowly vanishing due to unabated encroachments. The lake has shrunk almost one-third from its original size of 48 acres, and it is facing several other challenges, including pollution and illegal dumping.

Owing to unregulated urbanisation surrounding the lake, even in its buffer zone and FTL, huge residential apartments and commercial establishments have come up. Despite the previous government taking efforts to clear the encroachments on its Full Tank Level last year, they were of no use, as illegal structures have continued to mushroom on the lake’s bund.

As per HMDA data, the lake that was spread across 48 acres has slowly shrunk to 20 acres. Along with this, the water quality of the lake is also a main concern. Moreover, illegal dumping takes place near the surroundings of the lake, and apart from that many anti-social activities take place regularly. To curb such activities, a security guard was appointed five months ago. As per data from Telangana State Pollution Control Board, the dissolved oxygen levels, one of the factors that determines the quality of water, is found to be alarmingly low at only 0.3 mg/l, against the permissible limit of 6 mg/l or more.

Locals point out that the lake was an irrigation source till 2000, prior to the illegal encroachment by a few residential colonies. Due to the damage of the outlet and inlet of the lake, the sewage from these establishments flows directly into the lake. On top of that, the encroachments have been chipping away at the FTL of the water body, which results in water stagnation issues during monsoon. Due to this issue, even a little amount of rain is enough to submerge the areas and with every downpour, locals residing in and around the lake are forced to spend sleepless nights.

Recalling the massive water logging that took place in 2020/21 that devastated the entire Kukatpally area, Sai Teja, a social activist, said, “Due to massive illegal encroachment in FTL and buffer zone of the lake, the inlets have been damaged. During every massive downpour, locals are facing hardship. It would be better if the state government has tough action against encroachers and before the lake disappears completely, the state government must come out with a concrete solution to protect the lake.”