Mystery of a missing sewage treatment plant tells the tale of the lake in Krishnakanth Park

The lake inside the Krishnakath Park in Yousufguda has come a full circle over the past two decades, before the recent announcement by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Development Agency (HYDRAA) revealing plans to develop and restore the lake.

HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath is taking special interest in expansion of the lake by four times its existing size, in order to impound the storm water that inundates Ameerpet and surrounding localities downstream every time it rains.

Currently restricted to about three acres and divided into three separate ponds with interconnecting canals, the water body is now set to be increased to 12 acres.

Work to fell and translocate trees from the park is already underway, with 34 trees marked for felling and 156 for translocation.

This initiative will largely reduce the 22-acre park space and drown its lawns, trees, gazebos and other facilities originally established 22 years ago. The project pivots on the argument that the entire park stands on what was originally a lake.

The lake, in fact, is a textbook example of how governments squander public money with no attention to sustainability or accountability. A simple search for a sewage treatment plant which has disappeared over the years lays bare the whole story.

The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was first established way back in 2003-04, with the intention of filling the three ponds constructed as part of the park’s development. The park was launched in 2004, by the then chief minister of the joint state of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu.

“There was no lake. Before the park, it was a colossal garbage dump. We got down to the daunting task of clearing all the trash in order to build a beautiful park there. Digging very deep, we built strong gazebos with granite, despite objections that the foundations would be at risk due to enormous amounts of rubble underneath. The three ponds were built so as to provide water for the greenery,” shared N. Chandramohan Reddy, who was then the Director, Urban Forestry, of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.