Hyderabad: The restoration of Anandbagh Lake has been moving very slowly for the past two years. This slow progress has caused problems for the people living nearby. They are dealing with more mosquitoes, the lake is covered with water plants, and during rains, dirty water mixes with lake water and floods their homes and streets.
Four years ago, under a project called Mission Kakatiya Phase IV, the government approved work in two parts. The work started two years ago but has been very slow. The Irrigation Department is responsible for fixing up the lake. Officials say the work is slow because there aren’t enough workers and money. They planned to improve the lake like Durgam Cheruvu, but only about five percent of the work is done.
Local residents don’t understand why the work is taking so long. The whole path near the lake has been dug up, and for the past year, pipes have been placed randomly, making it hard for people to move around. The lake, which used to be 132 acres, is now only 60 acres due to illegal building. The lake is covered with weeds, and there’s almost no water left. The area around the lake has become a garbage dump, increasing the mosquito problem.
“The lake work started to stop rainwater from flooding nearby colonies by widening the canals. But the project is failing because there’s no progress. Locals are having a tough time, especially during rains when the streets and houses are flooded. Officials should finish the work soon,” said Srinivasam, a local resident.
“With no progress on the renovation, the lake is getting worse. Officials keep saying the work will be done soon, but we don’t believe them anymore. We’ve told the officials many times to fence the lake and fix the path near it. The whole area is in bad shape,” said Johnson, another resident of Anandbagh.