Hyderabad: The Hussainsagar, with the world’s tallest monolithic Buddha statue, is one of the icons of Hyderabad. The condition of the lake, however, does not befit this singular status.
The polluted Hussainsagar water repels tourists with foul-smelling and near-poisonous water. No government could revive the lake that once supplied drinking water to the city. Of late, the new threat is growth of algal blooms.
The stench from the affected areas has driven away visitors, including regular walkers and joggers, who are shifting to relatively cleaner sections of the lake.
“I skipped my daily walk for two days, and I came here to check if it has been cleaned, but the condition is much the same,” said G. Diwakar at Sanjeevaiah Park.
A senior citizen near the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) office said that Hussainsagar is one of the most visited places in Hyderabad. “Even international tourists visit Hussainsagar, and leaving it in a bad shape is unfortunate,” he said.
While the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), which is responsible for maintaining the lake, failed miserably, HYDRAA is focusing on taking up easier tasks.
Apart from foul smell, the lake is infested with algae, whose growth was accelerated by the summer temperature. Thick green layers have been observed at multiple locations, including NTR Marg, PVNR Marg, Sanjeevaiah Park, Lumbini Park and near the Secretariat.
The Buddha Purnima Project Authority (BPPA), under HMDA, said it has intensified spraying of microbial solutions to control algal bloom and odour. “The temperature in Hyderabad has crossed 40 degrees Celsius, so the smell is more, but we have increased the spraying multiple times,” a BPPA official said.
According to officials, the number of tankers deployed for spraying has been increased from 20 to 40 per day, each with a capacity of 3,000 litres. “Due to intensive spraying, the condition is under control. Compared to earlier summers, we can contain the algal bloom in a better manner,” he said.
An HMDA official said addressing the root cause of polluted inflows is essential for long-term improvement. “If spraying was not increased to 40 tankers every day, even commuters can’t even use that road near Hussainsagar, the condition would become worse,” he said.
Pollution is the core of the problem that Hussainsagar faces. Inflow from the Kukatpally nala remains a major source of pollution, raising concerns over inspection and enforcement by the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) on nearby industries, as well as the functioning of the STP.
Ever since the Buddha statue was installed in the lake, crores of funding have been channelled through successive state governments to revive it. In 1994, the Andhra Pradesh government got Rs 637 crore for the revival of the lake. Between 2006 and 2014, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of Rs 310 crore. Subsequently, Hussainsagar has been the subject of several state government initiatives for cleaning up the lake. Yet every time, effluents from different parts of the city pushed money down the drain, suffocating Buddha as ever.
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