HYDERABAD: As the sun rises, a band of about 50 men, women and children arrive at Kapra lake near Sainikpuri with tools in hand and a mission in mind: Restoring the lake to its pristine glory.
For these lake warriors, it’s not a mission impossible. They have been at it for the past several years and they have no intention of giving up. While they are ready to get their hands dirty, all they hope is there will be administrative will to remove encroachments, clear it of waste and make it a litter-free zone.
“About eight years ago we started the process of cleaning with 10 members and slowly the number has now gone up to 150. All the people have voluntarily come forward to clean the lake to revive it,” said CS Chandrasekhar, Green Sainikpuri secretary, who is the brains behind this initiative.
Over the years, people from nearly 45 residential colonies near the lake have joined the effort to revive the lake.
Within 15 minutes, the group fished out large quantities of waste material from a small portion of the lake which was earmarked for immersion of Ganesh idols. A few others had collected used bottles and other materials thrown in the lake. A group of sanitation workers from the civic body also joined in the task to transport the solid waste.
The lake which was originally spread over 113 acres has shrunk due to encroachment and today it is only 30 acres, said Chandrasekhar, adding that if the plans to develop a bird sanctuary materialises then it could be turned into tourist spot.
“About 70 % of the lake has dried up over the last several years. The lake requires urgent attention. GHMC should desilt the lake,” said Deepa Shailendra with her hands deep in waste.
The then scenic lake even has an old Tollywood connect. The legendary NTR had filmed a scene riding a horse near the lake for his movie ‘Daana Veera Soora Karna’ in the seventies.
Reminiscing about the once serene lake, Vijaya Naidu, one of the volunteers from Sainikpuri, said: “When we started to build our house in 1984, the lake was beautiful, full of water and migratory birds used to stay here for weeks. I used to take Ganesh idol and immerse in the water. Now, the lake is a cesspool of filth. It is unfortunate what has happened to the lake over the past several years.”
The volunteers also pointed out that the lake is being used by realtors to dump construction waste with impunity.
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