Hussain Sagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project (ID-P174) funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Hussain Sagar, the picturesque lake in the heart of Hyderabad was built during 1562 by Hazarath Hussain Sha Wali of the Qutub Shahi dynasty with a basin area of 240 Sq.Km to fulfil the drinking water requirements of the people. The water in the lake was reasonably good till 1976.
Over the years, Hussain Sagar Lake has become polluted through entry of untreated sewage and industrial effluents through the nalas that flow into the lake. As a result, nutrient rich sediments accumulated in the lake bed which in turn acted as an internal source for supply of nutrients to the Lake water. Other sources of pollution included cattle washing, vehicle washing, dumping of domestic solid waste along the shore line as well as the immersion of large numbers of Ganesh and Durga Idols during festivals containing paints, clay, gypsum and plaster of Paris, flowers and garlands.
Issues affecting the Hussain Sagar Lake:
There are four major Nalas through which domestic sewage, industrial effluents and other debris enter the lake.
|
|
- Domestic sewage entering the lake contains levels of Nitrates and Phosphates beyond permissible limits, which promote the growth of algae/water hyacinth in the lake.
- As the algae/water hyacinth decompose, it uses lot of available oxygen in the water thereby making it deficient for other aquatic fauna like fish etc. causing the death of these organisms.
- The lack of oxygen ultimately affects the decomposition of algae also and which simply falls to the bottom of the lake adding to the high levels of organic matter in the lake bed.
- Non-decomposition of organic matter, non availability of oxygen, result in emanation of various gases from the lake bed causing lot of foul smell from the lake.
- Direct dumping of litter, garbage, plastic waste, and other debris in the lake besides creating pollution are an eyesore too.
|
|