From beautification proposal to garbage, filth and encroachment: the sad saga of Mullakathuva lake

Mullakathuva lake in Hyderabad faces pollution, neglect, and degradation despite past conservation efforts and tourism potential.

A black drongo is perched on a power line above, while a kingfisher takes off from a hacked tree stump. A flock of spot-billed ducks swim on the slimy water beneath. Another group of Ibis are seen foraging, not only from the water, but also from the garbage dumped close to the lake by the Swachh auto tipper (SAT) vehicles on their way to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) mini transfer station nearby.

The entire area surrounding the Mullakathuva lake beside the Kukatpally-Hitech City corridor stinks of solid waste, thanks to tippers zipping past every now and then, to stop near the lake for segregation of waste before proceeding to the transfer station.

“They even burn garbage regularly. Fire and thick smoke emanating from the area is a threat to the birds’ survival,” says Rama Menon, who lives close by in one of the several residential complexes.

From her balcony that gives a panoptic view of the landscape, a lone excavator machine can be spotted going up the winding path around the lake. The vehicle disappears for a few moments and resurfaces right in the middle of the lake. Upon approaching closer, one can discern that the machine is engaged in excavating the earth from the other side and filling up the portion where water exists.

On the other side of the path traversed by the excavator is one of the water filling stations of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), where drivers laze around in the tankers, idly glancing at the frantic endeavour in the lake.

“This is the routine. We see the excavator dredging and filling up the lake every day. Garbage is burnt regularly in the vast and unfenced revenue land adjacent to the lake. I complained to the Forest department, but the officer expressed helplessness as it was out of the department’s purview,” says Ms. Menon.

The sewage-filled lake was once full of water hyacinth which exists even now on the other side, closer to Ambedkar Colony — a slum. Towards the end of 2022, a drive was taken up by GHMC to rid about 50 lakes in the city of weed and as part of the drive Mullakathuva lake too was cleaned up. However, the sewage flow into the lake has not been stopped, and with burgeoning metropolis around the lake, the catchment area too has been compromised, which has initiated the eutrophication process and slow death of the waterbody.