Hyderabad: Panic after fish in large numbers die in Durgam Cheruvu: HC takes suo moto notice

Hyderabad: A major environmental disaster has unfolded in Hyderabad after hundreds of fish died in Durgam Cheruvu.

Taking a serious note of the death of fish in Durgam Cheruvu, the Telangana High Court has converted a news item published in the English daily into suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

The newspaper highlighted the deteriorating health of the city's iconic `Durgam Cheruvu’.

Environmentalists and locals were shocked when they found hundreds of fish floating on the lake's surface, gasping for air, and some were spotted lifeless along its periphery.

The actual reason for the death of the fish in the Durgam Cheruvu is the sewage flowing from the houses.

Further, it was also reported that there are two Sewage Treatment Plants located at the full tank level of the lake. When it rains, the Sewage Treatment Plants get inundated with rainwater and mud, disrupting their functionality. The old Sewage Treatment Plant ceased operations long ago, and the new one was also rendered nonfunctional after the rains.

People sought the intervention of the High Court and officials to protect Durgam Cheruvu from getting polluted due to the inflow of pharmaceuticals, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, hormones, steroids, UV filters, plasticizers, cyan toxins, and metabolites into the water.

Chief Secretary, Special Chief Secretary, MA& UD department; Principal Secretary, I & CAD department; Principal Secretary Revenue department; Commissioner, GHMC; Managing Director, HMWS; SB, Khairatabad; Zonal Commissioner, GHMC, Serilingampally Zone and District Collector, RR District have been made respondents in PIL.

PIL will be heard by the chief justice bench on December 18, 2023.