Ramakrishna Puram Lake to be dewatered and desilted

Ramakrishnapuram: Ramakrishna Puram Lake/ Mukidi Cheruvu is known for its scenic beauty and a place for migrated birds. At present, the lake is filled with hyacinth and sewage stagnation and also creating problems to residents. Keeping this in view, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has planned to release the RK Puram lake sewage water into the downstream sewage treatment plant(STP) by re-routing process.

• Peripheral drain worksworth Rs 126.36 lakh okayed

• Also,headworksfor Rs 754.62 lakh sanctioned by govt

• After removal of silt, dewatering process would begin

• Lake sewage to rerouted into the downstream STP

• Along periphery, a pathway to be laid after clearing lake and fencing it

• Total number of lakesto be focused on for desilting and dewatering is 20 lakes

Speaking to The Hans India here on Monday, Prasad, Executive Engineer for Lakes and Irrigation, GHMC, East Zone, said that on the instruction of State government to drain the contaminated water from city lakes, the GHMC embarked on a program to re-route the sewage and also to dewater the lake. The project is estimated, for peripheral drain work Rs 126.36 lakh and headwork Rs 754.62 lakh and work began on the first week of May and it would take more 9 months to complete the project.

Furthermore, he said that once the lake was spread over 60 acres and now it is slumped to 40 acres due to the exponential growth of hyacinth, garbage, and sewage being generated. Silt removing work is under progress.

The sewage has been re-routed to downstream to the sewage treatment plant(STP) in Safilguda lake, and simultaneously desilting of the silt is being taken up with help of JCB machine for for loading the silt and dumpers for carting silt.

After removal of the silt, the dewatering process would begin by removing the water from the deepest part of the lake and also from the excavated pit with the help of dewatering pump machine the water would be pumped out into downstream of the sewage treatment plant at Safilguda lake.

Water hyacinth would automatically dry up after the water is removed. Thereafter, the lake will again be filled up through inlet storm water drains during the monsoon, which are being repaired at present.

Along the periphery, a pathway is planned, but it would be taken up after the clearing the lake and the lake is already encroached with a fence. The total number of lakes taken by GHMC for desilting and dewatering is 20 lakes. Pedda Cheruvu- Gangaram, Cherlapaly Tank, Mohini Cheruvu -Osmania Campus, Pedda Cheruvu-Mansurabad, Nalla, Patel Cheruvu are to be taken up in the east zone. From each constituency, two lakes have been selected under the GHMC limits, said the Executive Engineer.