Hussain Sagar water turns yellowish, foul smell worries residents

Water quality at Hussain Sagar has deteriorated, with yellowish colour and foul smell alarming visitors and residents. BPPA officials attributed the change to seasonal weather conditions and pollution, and said bioremediation measures are being taken to control the stench during summer.

Hyderabad: Of late, the water quality at Hussain Sagar has deteriorated, turning yellowish and emitting a foul smell, raising concern among visitors and residents.

The coloured water was found in Hussain Sagar between the Telangana Secretariat and the Lumbini Park stretch, starting at Tank Bund and in front of Hotel Marriott. The Buddha Purnima Project Authority (BPPA) officials confirmed this to ‘Telangana Today’ and said, “In certain stretches of Hussain Sagar, the water colour has turned yellowish over the past couple of weeks.”

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A BPPA official attributed the change in water colour to changes in weather conditions. During the beginning of the summer season, as temperatures increase gradually from winter, the water turns yellowish, sometimes greenish and occasionally black, the official said. This resulted in a stench that caused inconvenience to visitors and commuters passing through stretches of Necklace Road, NTR Marg, Secretariat, Tank Bund and up to Buddha Bhavan.

“The stench rises during peak summer,” a BPPA official said. Uncontrolled pollution from untreated industrial effluents, sewage, heavy siltation and chemical effluents has been described as the main reason for the poor quality of the water body.

The BPPA has been adopting a bioremediation process, which involves adding enzyme solutions to break down organic pollutants and reduce foul odours. “We are using effective microorganisms (EM), which is a liquid blend of beneficial microbes such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and photosynthetic bacteria, to dilute the water colour and control the stench,” the official said.

“Currently, we are using one tanker with a capacity of 3,000 litres and making 10 to 12 trips for the bioremediation process by sprinkling EM liquid on the surface of the water wherever we find the colour. During peak summer, we will use two tankers and increase the trips to 20 to 25,” the BPPA official said.

This process started from the second week and will be continued till the summer season, the official added.