Tankbund, a smelly ordeal

Once a pleasant stretch, be it to take a lazy stroll or go on a long drive, Necklace Road has now become a smelly ordeal for people in the city, even for those who just have to pass by that area. Infested with water-hyacinths and aquatic weeds, the lake doesn’t just emanate a terrible odour, but has also turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

During this season, the lake is affected by the uncontrolled bloom of blue green algae. The obnoxious odour from dead algae floating on the lake’s surface, apart from the stench of rotting garbage thrown around it, has made life hell for residents in neighbouring areas and people going on that stretch. It has become a common sight to see people standing at bus stops on that road with their noses firmly covered.

“It’s terrible to walk along the Tank Bund road due to the foul smell emanating from the lake. Now-a-days, you don’t even see many people riding on the road, especially at night, due to the unbearable smell,” says Azeej Ahmed, a fitness trainer.

The lake may be evidently dirty and contaminated, but the authorities blame it solely on the algae. Chandra Mohan Reddy, OSD, Buddha Poornima Project, HMDA says, “The foul smell is due to the sudden bloom of blue green algae in the lake water, as a result of the sudden rise in temperature. We have appointed over 50 members to remove the algae. The work will be completed in 2 to 3 days. The workers have started the cleaning process that includes simple skimming up operation to remove dead algae.”

Even the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority officials are confident that the exercise can be completed in a day or two. “Once the sewerage treatment plants start working, this problem will be solved,” he adds.

When queried about what is being done about cleaning the lake, Chandra Mohan Reddy retorts with a generic reply. “It may take more than two years to complete the Hussain Sagar cleaning project. Till then, we are taking care of untreated sewage coming from nalas for better maintenance. Also, we are going to manually remove the hyacinth and other floating garbage from the lake to resolve the problem of the foul odour.”