The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has plan to protect 23 more lakes of the 2857 lakes in the HMDA area.

The HMDA’s Lake Protection Committee mandated to initiate steps for protection and conservation of water bodies in and around the city has notified 23 more lakes and sought objections and suggestions on the full tank level (FTL) boundary maps and buffer zones of these lakes.

The committee has identified 2,857 lakes in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) area, of which 168 have been located in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) jurisdiction and the rest of 2,689 lakes were identified in adjoining gram panchayats and municipalities.

With the services of consultants and in coordination with the Irrigation and the Revenue department staff, the demarcations have been completed for nearly 521 lakes.

After verification and certification by the Irrigation Department with details of Revenue survey numbers, the HMDA has been notifying lakes in a phased manner for public information, suggestions and comments. In 12 phases so far, 415 lakes were notified and now, 23 more water bodies for which mapping of full tank level boundaries and buffer zones completed have been notified.

Orders were issued by the State government in 2012 restricting building/development activity in the FTL of lakes and juntas and on maintaining courses of these water bodies as recreational or green buffer zone.

The Telengana Government has further pushed the agenda to  preserve the lakes  with a campaign to remove encroachments in the tank beds and issued blanket orders to demolish illegal constructions.

Source: THI