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.
