State president, Water Resources Council, Lubna Sarwath (left), Retd Chief Scientist IICT, Baburao Kalapala and Retd Chief Scientist, NGRI, B Rama Lingeswara Rao showing the maps of twin reservoirs Osmansagar and Himayatsagar during a meeting at Lamakaan in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad on Friday.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Holding up a map of Osmansagar lake, Lubna Sarwath of Save Our Urban Lakes shared the shocking information about how the lake area has shrunk by 335 acres in the last nine years. “This is a map from 2013 by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board where the lake area was mapped showing 6,335 acres. The same map is shown in 2019 as 6,000 acres. And now the map has disappeared from public domain,” said Ms Sarwath, faulting the process of scrapping GO 111 of 1996. “The government accepts that there are 104 encroachments on the lake. This is a drinking water reservoir not some abandoned lake. Imagine what will happen once the GO is removed,” asked Ms. Sarwath.

“The Chief Minister did not follow his own promise about following the advice of expert committee, which he made to National Green Tribunal and on the floor of Assembly. What’s the hurry,” asked Ms. Sarwath at the presser she organised along with scientists and domain experts.

“Did the government think about climate change and what we are experiencing every day? We have had floods over the past two years. What is the need to build separate reservoirs when we have two? Floods and climate change should worry us but we are listening to real estate dealers,” said Baburao Kalapala who formerly worked at the IICT.

The destruction of the lake ecosystem will lead to failure of flood control system that has protected the city for so long. Osmansagar and Himayatsagar will become like Hussainsagar lake which is a dead lake. It will impact the city in the long run,” said Sagar Dhara, an energy expert who worked with UN Environment Programme.