The Hindu 13.06.2010
Lakes fall victim to urbanisation
D.V.L Padma Priya
HYDERABAD: Next time you are out there to purchase a ‘lake view' apartment or a house near a water body, make sure you question the builder where the sewerage from the building goes into.
If the confession of a civil engineer associated with an upcoming venture around Kapra Lake is to be believed, then the sewerage of most new apartments are let untreated into lakes they are built around.
The engineer associated with a venture coming around Kapra Lake said that while the building plan submitted to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) clearly shows the sewer lines of the building being connected to an existing system, in reality it doesn't happen.
“We get the required permission and often we are unable to connect the sewer line of the building to an existing line due to overloading. So, we let out the sewerage directly into open drains or into a water body nearby,” he says.
And this is not a new trend. Over the past few years, lakes at Ramakrishnapuram, Kapra, Safilguda and Hasmathpet have borne the brunt of lack of proper sewerage system. “While a number of apartments continue to come up, there are not enough sewer lines to transport the waste to main lines,” says a senior engineer of GHMC under condition of anonymity.
Residents living around the lakes at Kapra, Ramakrishnapuram and Safilguda allege the nexus between the real estate body and municipal officials for the current state of affairs.
“Permission is given to each and every builder without any discretion. Even if the apartment is coming in the FTL area, GHMC gives it clearance,” alleges a resident.
Incidentally, while permission for new sewer lines for buildings has to be sought from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), the areas in the periphery are still in the purview of GHMC.
“This means there is no coordination between GHMC and HMWSSB and many a times, the lines are not continued up till the main line or to a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP),” says the engineer.
He feels that an independent sewerage line should be laid by collecting development fund from the builders. “Builders of a cluster of apartments should contribute to lay an independent line which is directly connected to the main line. Also smaller STPs can be set up to prevent lakes from getting polluted,” he advises.
Sunil Kumar Gupta, Member, Environment, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) which has taken up the task of protecting the lakes in the city said the allegations and claims would certainly be looked into and acted upon.
