GHMC plans facelift to Mir Alam Tank

Rajendranagar : The GHMC (Irrigation) Department will be giving a complete facelift to the Mir Alam Lake by coming up with a walkway and cycle track, besides a 6.5 km long sewerage diversion canal. The ongoing project with an outlay of several crore rupees, the officials say that it would protect the historic water body from getting polluted.

The project is funded through Mission Kakatiya and would materialise in a year. With the successful completion of the project, the water body will embrace a new look with facilities like walkway, cycle track and small parks and would give a serene environment to the visitors. Meanwhile, the GHMC will also take along fencing works to protect the water body, from the encroachers.

The project is in process at various locations and it is said that the works have been allotted to different contractors through the tender process. At the initial stage a 6.5 km long diversion canal around the lake is being constructed with an outlay of about Rs 7 crore that would help to redirect the sewerage inflow coming from the surrounding areas to Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) located at Mir Alam Filter.

According to officials, the diversion canal is aimed to protect the water body from getting polluted with sewerage, chemically induced industrial effluents and filth that is flowing directly into the lake from surrounding areas.

"The works have already started from Indranagar (Hassan Nagar) which would move along the embankment of lake before ending at the STP located at Mir Alam Filter. First phase of work would turn the canal into pavement and in later stages the walkway and cycle track would take shape on the same route," said an official.

However, to undermine these efforts, a slab culvert is also being constructed at Mir Alam Filter by R&B Department. The GHMC has already sent two letters to the R&B Department explaining the project in length, but no appropriate reply was made by the later yet. "The ongoing works at Mir Alam Filter are detrimental for the project since this will allow the sewerage from upward areas of Teegal Kunta and Chashma to enter directly into the lake.

There is already a line there but the R&B officials are converting it into a slab culvert with augmented capacity that will allow the huge inflow of filth to pass through it directly into the lake," lamented, the official on the request of anonymity.