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.
In September 2013, before Telangana was accorded statehood, the GHMC had proposed a project to conserve the Mullakathuva (mentioned as Mundla Katwa in government records) lake at a cost of ₹3 crore.
Diversion of sewage and other pollutants, weed removal and development of greenery were part of the proposal which aimed to turn it into a weekend destination. The bird population and rock formations inside the lake made it an idyllic location to promote tourism.
While the lake was spread over 17 acres, a total of 40 acres was proposed for development, including the revenue land adjacent to the lake.
An exclusive programme was taken up for lake development in the city after separate statehood but Mullakathuva lake’s condition has worsened thanks to the establishment of the transfer station and construction of a Ganesh immersion pond right in the full tank level.
