56 CITY LAKES FULL: EXPERT

Retired irrigation engineer-inchief T. Hanumantha Rao on Sunday asked the state government to develop the headquarters of new districts scientifically with storm water drains and planned drainage with wider roads.

Mr Rao, an adviser to the United Nations, was speaking at a addressing a conference on the floods in the city organised by the Telangana Prajavedika led by Justice Chandra Kumar.

Mr Rao said, “The current system of developing rainwater harvesting pits is uneconomical and can be replaced with a trench system. The filter bed is not necessary as the flood water sinks into the earth and there is no need of purification. A less expensive system will be a pit covered with a slab and a brick wall on the sides which cut the costs to one fifth.” He said that for every five acres of open grounds and streets, there should be a harvesting pit to absorb water.

He said the city has 100 lakes that are encroached, and another 165 that need to be restored. The recent rain had filled only 56 lakes. “As there are no rivulets, cement drains should be built to connect to the lakes to the Musi,” he said.

Explaining about Nizampet floods, “He said usually slums and low-lying areas and settlements on nalas are flooded but Nizampet which has middleand upper-middle class families has been flooded due to improper planning by the gram panchayat. The nala has been occupied and houses were constructed which stopped outflow of water.”

He said Himayatsagar and Osmansagar had not filled up as the flow of water was intercepted. In the original system, tanks on the way get filled up first and the overflow reaches the two drinking water sources to the city.

He recommended the removal of encroachments on the Hussainsagar nala downstream of the lake as it has to carry 5,000 cusecs water.

Justice Chandra Kumar asked why the encroachment removal drive started two and a half years ago was stopped. He demanded action against, and blacklisting of, contractors who laid bad roads.