Dodlavani, Bogamdani Lakes Missing, Not Found
Hyderabad: Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) is facing a strange problem. Lost bodies of water.
The two water bodies for which TGPCB does not have data since 2018 are Dodlavani Kunta and Bogamdani Kunta in Gajularamam, which fall under GHMC’s Kukatpally district. Apparently, after years of searching for the two water bodies, the PCB wrote a letter to the GHMC in August for ‘identification’ of the lakes.
The PCB’s monthly reports over the years also show how violations have made it impossible for its staff to even access some lakes, while others are listed as infested with water hyacinth and other aquatic plants that make sample collection impossible.
As an indication of how encroachments have affected the flow of water in the GHMC area and water bodies, PCB’s monthly monitoring reports of lakes and tanks for this year from January to September show that as against 37 lakes listed as dry or desiccated this January, only 15 received water by September and the remaining 22 were described as dry.
At least nine water bodies have been listed as inaccessible, including Bulbulkunta in Rajendranagar, HMT lake in Quthbullapur and Teegalasagara Cheruvu in Patancheru.
PCB’s reports also reiterate how polluted the water systems are in the city and the rest of the GHMC area. For September, data was available for 119 water bodies from 185 tanks and lakes on the PCB’s water quality controls list. Of these, only 15 had dissolved oxygen levels close to the minimum levels required for bathing, according to Central Pollution Control Board standards, which state that dissolved oxygen levels should be at least 5 mg per liter of water.
Meanwhile, all of the water bodies where samples were tested showed that each was infested with coliform bacteria; This shows that not a single water body in the GHMC area is free of domestic sewage and is unfit for any human use due to coliform bacteria found in every sample tested.
A mind-boggling figure was found at Pedda Cheruvu in Khajaguda in Serilingampally mandal, with more than 1,600 coliforms in 100 ml of water; This shows that the body of water is nothing more than a cesspit. In only 10 water bodies where samples were tested in September, coliform counts reached double digits, but according to CPCB standards, water must be free of coliform bacteria to be declared clean.
Water bodies in GHMC
Lakes and tanks: 185
Not Found: 2
Dry: 22
Available data: 119
Health status of water bodies
Coliform bacteria found: 119
Highest: Pedda Cheruvu, Khajaguda, more than 1,600 in 100 ml of water
Coliform count in double digits: 10 lakes
Less than allowed dissolved oxygen: 104 lakes
