HYDRAA has begun restoring Hyderabad’s Foxsagar Lake in Kompally, with plans to turn the polluted waterbody into a mini reservoir and develop a mini-Tank Bund within a year. The project is intended to increase the lake’s storage capacity from 1,000 million litres to 4,000 million litres by removing nearly five metres of accumulated silt.
HYDRAA commissioner A. V. Ranganath laid the foundation stone for the restoration works on Friday. The lake covers nearly 500 acres and has been affected by sewage, industrial waste, plastic pollution and heavy silt deposits. The accumulation has reduced its ability to hold water and affected groundwater levels in surrounding areas, according to the report.
Ranganath said HYDRAA had identified encroachments across around 150 acres and had cleared a major portion of them. He also said houses that existed before the authority was formed on July 19, 2024, would not be demolished as part of the exercise.
People losing plots or land will be eligible for transferable development rights under government rules, Ranganath said. The clarification comes as the restoration involves work around the lake’s spread, bund and buffer area, although the report did not specify the number of properties or plots affected.
The restoration plan includes measures to prevent sewage and industrial waste from entering Foxsagar Lake. HYDRAA said a sewage treatment plant would be established for this purpose. The authority also plans to improve the flow of rainwater into the lake and strengthen its flood management system.
The flood-control component is linked to flooding witnessed in the area in 2000, according to the report. The lake’s bund, inlets and outlets will be strengthened, while a 10-metre buffer zone will be prepared to protect the waterbody and improve public safety.
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute will test the quality of the lake water and groundwater in surrounding areas before and after the restoration. The testing is intended to assess whether the works improve water quality as the lake is desilted, protected from new pollution and reconnected to rainwater flows.
HYDRAA has set a one-year timeline for the mini-Tank Bund and restoration-related works. The project’s stated targets include restoring storage capacity, managing inflows and outflows, controlling pollution and securing the lake’s edges through the proposed buffer zone.
