Hasmathpet Lake no longer a scenic spot

Hasmathpet: Boin Cheruvu or Hasmathpet Lake, once a sprawling, scenic beauty and one of the biggest lakes of the city, is now one of the most contaminated water bodies. The man-made lake, which measured up to 65 acres at the time of its inception, is only left with 20 acres today.

The sewage water from nearby localities flow into the lake, along with the waste dumped at its shore. It is also an ideal spot for idol immersion at the time of festivities, apart from encroachment and free flow of toxic chemicals.

There is water left in the lake, but the thick blanket of horseshoe weed makes the water nearly invisible. It has been sucking out oxygen from the water and made it difficult for the fishes and water animals to survive.

"We bought a flat at the Manasarovar Heights because of the pleasing stretch of the lake front of our balcony and the scenic beauty. But, we have witnessed the gradual degradation of the lake, and today we lost that view," says Sakina Akbar, a resident of Manasarovar Heights.

The century-old lake is in urgent need of attention. Even after continuous requests, there hasn't been any response. "The colony associations have tried a lot to bring justice to the situation, but apparently a part of the lake comes under the Kukatpally constituency and the other part under the SCB, which is why, there are no proper responses from any side," says a local resident. The lake is slowly choking up with continuous contamination and requires to be addressed.