HYDERABAD: The proposed four-way tunnel road underneath the KBR park will cause heavy damage to the groundwater table in the rocky terrain resulting in shortage of groundwater in the areas served by the aquifers beneath the picturesque national park, said a senior geophysicist.
Moreover, a fault line passes through the KBR park from Banjara lake to Shankarpalli. Any tinkering with the geomorphology of the KBR park and Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills in the vicinity may impact the fault line resulting in tremors. Also, heavy traffic movement through the tunnel may activate the fault line and it may trigger tremors, cautioned professor G Ramadass, professor emeritus, department of geophysics, Osmania University.
“There is a trending shear zone running west-northwest to east-southeast extending from Banjara lake through KBR park and going up to Durgam Cheruvu. It is causally related to observed seismicity in the region,” professor Ramadass told STOI. He suggested the KBR park area and its surroundings should be studied seismically using satellite data to ensure that the fault line is avoided while taking up the tunnelling work.
Stating that the extent of top soil in Hyderabad particularly in rocky terrain is limited to a few metres, he said any underground construction will rob the area of this precious top layer that helps in retaining rainwater to recharge groundwater table. The proposed tunnel that is several km long and at least 60 feet wide will take away the top soil from the ecologically sensitive KBR park and its surrounding areas. Rainwater percolation to the extent of the tunnel will be affected, Ramadass warned.
Referring to the seismic area in Hyderabad, particularly in KBR park area, Ramadass said, “Within the seismic/aseismic zones with varying intensities of recorded/expected seismicity, urban areas are more vulnerable to the threat posed by seismic activity as the density of population as well as that of built-up structures is far higher as compared to other inhabited areas”. The vicinity of KBR park has huge structures and heavy traffic movement and any deep and long digging in the region may have ecological consequences, he said.
