Citizen Journalism: HYDRAA's aggressive approach instills fear into lake raiders; will mafia now back off or regroup?

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Hyderabad: Either by design or chance, the name of this new government agency fits the purpose it has been created for. The sound of HYDRAA (Hyderabad Asset Management and Protection Agency) launched recently by the Telangana government has a menacing ring to it! lt's main mandate is to reclaim encroached lands from the lakes and nalas of Hyderabad and protect government property. Headed by a dynamic police officer, the agency has started with a bang, first targeting high-profile 'encroachers' and promising to go the whole hog till all public lands are free of illegitimate structures

A good initiative that was long overdue. Higher incidents of urban flooding seem to be directly linked to increased filling up of natural water bodies. Naturally more concrete on the city's surface leads to more storm run-off and when the natural contours are filled in, it is but natural that roads and houses flood in heavy downpours. Furthermore, lakes are groundwater recharge mechanisms and also act as heat absorbers and humidifiers thus modulating the microclimate. With a nice walkway and gardens, lakes are welcome zones of relaxation for a stressed populace. Not to forget, they are a natural habitat for birds and bees (and fish).

The reality though is most lakes in the city (including the iconic Hussain Sagar) have become cesspools with raw sewage and industrial pollutants flowing into them freely. They emit an unpleasant odor, sometimes even poisonous gases, and the stagnant water breeds mosquitoes. A flotsam of plastic and other rubbish completes the rather ugly picture. The water is SO toxic that even fish can't survive in it.

A war on illegal construction in the city, though much needed, is a hopeless one. More than half the city will be rubble if one goes into demolition mode. That is why the focus on Lake and Nala encroachment is welcome as it addresses the specific issue of flooding which affects all citizens. The question however is - will this be enough? Essentially most of these lakes or ponds are manmade and were meant for farm irrigation. As the city grew these became 'islands' within and lost their original purpose. The loss of their functionality was the death knell of these water bodies and made them vulnerable to misuse. They either became purely aesthetic especially to the active types for their daily strolls and jogs or backwaters as dhobi ghats and animal bathing ghats, though these are rare to see today. The Hussain Sagar due to its centrality and size has transformed from a drinking water reservoir to a tourist attraction and a sailing venue.

As critical to stormwater drainage as the lakes are the connecting links -quite unceremoniously called nalas. They connect one lake to another along natural contours so that one lake's overflow forms the inflow of a lower one and so on till all the excess water is discharged in the Musi- our city's lowest point. HYDRAA is slated to unclog these nalas too but it will be a challenge as most of them are hemmed in with dense settlements. But without widening these arteries-making them progressively wider as they reach the Musi because of cumulative effect-there is not much point in reclaiming the lakes. Till now we have not seen much action on these 'mini rivers'.

Several things are yet to become clear from this sudden burst of HYDRAA- ction. Some of them are:

Even assuming that most of the lakes and nalas are cleared, will it be enough to avoid flooding as the city has concretized at such a furious pace that there are hardly any soft grounds left for water to seep in, especially in the new growth areas like HiTec city. Have any calculations been made or strategy evolved to see how much holding capacity is required to secure the runoff?

Where are all the debris from demolition and normal building waste of the city going to be disposed of - after all it was the vulnerable lake edges that were filled in with the debris to 'create' more land- two birds with one stone trick.

After a lake is hopefully brought back to its almost pristine condition, what next? Who is going to be responsible for it remaining that way? How will sewage and chemicals be prevented from entering it? What happens to the basin in the summer-won't it become a garbage dump? Such pessimism is perhaps not warranted when good work is on, but unless we plan the whole thing may slip back to square one.

Is HYDRAA something of a Rapid Action Force on mission mode which will be disbanded as it completes its mandate? Or is it going to be another typical Government body that loses its zeal when the present head is transferred out or a new government is voted in? Remember, the GHMC and HMDA are vested with the same powers as HYDRAA to act against illegal construction. Yet they have become complacent and in many cases become parties to the fraud by issuing approvals based on fictitious documents! There is no doubt that HYDRAA's aggressive approach has instilled fear into potential lake raiders and put a stop to further encroachment. But for how long can fear rule? The mafia that works in this sphere is a potent one and will quickly regroup to strike back and find newer ways to propagate their trade.

Disclaimer:

Author - Shankar Narayan.

The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of NewsMeter.