Hyderabad: To start the draining of Hussainsagar, the TS government has instructed the Water Board and the HMDA to divert the Kukatpally nala and stop all discharge of sewerage into the lake. Currently, up to 50 million litres a day of industrial and domestic waste enters the lake through the Kukatpally nala. The Buddha Purnima Project of HMDA claims that apart from the Kukatpally nala, no untreated water enters the Hussainsagar.

“There is zero discharge of sewerage into the Hussainsagar except for the Kukatpally inflow. The Banjara, Picket and Balkapur nalas have already been diverted,” said a BPP officer. To divert nala number 4, the civic agencies have proposed to construct a ring pipeline connecting the Kukatpally nala from Necklace Road to a spot near the Buddha Bhavan, the BPP office. The agencies also propose to construct a 2,400-mm diameter tunnel and duct underneath Tank Bund from Buddha Bhavan to Dhobi Ghat, at a cost of Rs60 crore.

An officer with the BPP said  the proposed ring pipeline is a long-term measure. All waste water from the Kukatpally nala would be transported through the pipeline to a spot near Buddha Bhavan. The water will enter the tunnel and end at the Dhobi Ghat outflow. An underground micro duct will be installed from Buddha Bhavan so that no excavation needs to be done, he said. The pipeline can take up to 50 MLD of sewage. The proposal needs the approval of the state government, officials from the Water Board and BPP said.

Telangana must address foul odour issue before dewatering lake

The plan to diver nalas includes building an interception and diversion structure at Necklace Road. However, till date, no official instruction has been given to the civic agencies with regard to draining the Hussainsagar, though the government plans to do it this summer.

S. Jeevanand Reddy, a lake expert, said that though officials were claiming that there was zero discharge of waste from nalas other than the Kukatpally nala, Hussainsagar receives rain water and domestic waste through smaller nalas directly connected from the surrounding slums. He asked how the authorities would stop these nalas as there was no way to divert them unless the lake was drained or sewerage pipelines were constructed for the slums.

“Once all the inlets are blocked, the lake can be emptied. However, there is no estimation on the amount of silt and most importantly the odour, which will haunt the city. Areas including the Secretariat and the Governor’s residence will be affected. People had complained of foul smell during the recent dumping of dredged up material at Sanjeevaiah Park and People’s Plaza. The Pollution Control Board should advise the state on this; how can the city be exposed to such smell?” he asked.

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