Safilguda Lake, also known as Nadimi Cheruvu, is in trouble. This lake in Hyderabad is slowly turning into barren, green land. The main issue is that the water flowing into it from RK Puram Lake has been blocked. The inlets of Safilguda Lake are damaged, and RK Puram Lake has also faced illegal encroachments.
Once, Safilguda Lake was a beautiful spot and a vital source of drinking water for the local people. It originally covered 15 acres of land. However, due to poor upkeep, the lake has now shrunk to just five acres. Encroachments into the lake’s Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zones have reduced its size over the years. Large-scale illegal construction continues within the lake’s boundaries, and the water is heavily polluted. Two sewage treatment plants were built to solve the pollution problem, but they have not worked.
The lake is connected to Ramakrishnapuram Lake, also known as RK Puram Lake, which provides some of its water. However, RK Puram Lake is also in bad shape. Even though it was listed as one of the 19 lakes for development four years ago, no improvement has been made. This lake, which originally spanned 100 acres, has now shrunk to just 30 acres.
Robin Zaccheus, a social activist, explained that the lake’s catchment area is dried up because the pipelines are blocked. In the past, sewage water was diverted from the lake, expecting rain to refill it. But the work to fix the lake has stopped, and now it has become barren. During the monsoon, areas like Devi Nagar, Vidya Nagar, RK Puram Basti, Bank Colony, Sitaram Nagar, Balram Nagar, and Krishna Nagar are affected. Robin stressed the importance of reviving both lakes and stopping the encroachments, as the groundwater has dried up.
Malkajgiri Corporator V Sravan mentioned that the State government, through HYDRA, is working to protect water bodies. He emphasized the need to safeguard water flowing from upstream and downstream into Safilguda Lake to prevent problems for the locals. The main problem with Safilguda Lake, he said, comes from RK Puram Lake, which has been illegally encroached upon. Because of this, water is not flowing into Safilguda Lake. He urged the State government to take action to protect the lake before it disappears.
