Warangal: Bhadrakali lake cleaning process begins

According to officials, the water released from the Bhadrakali lake would not inundate areas around it as it would be stored at Chalivagu which has more than 20,000 million cubic feet capacity

Warangal: As part of the rejuvenation of the Bhadrakali lake, situated beside the historical Bhadrakali temple in Warangal city, the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation(GWMC) and Irrigation officials on Friday started releasing water from the lake to take up desilting and other .

The water was released through Bhadrakali nala towards Kapuwada Mattadi, Nagaram pond via Alankar Peddamori, Kakatiya colony, Peddamma Gadda to Chalivagu.

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Tension prevailed for sometime after fishermen dependent on the Bhadrakali lake for livelihood tried to stop irrigation officials from releasing the water from the lake and demanded that they be paid compensation as they would lose source of income following the release of water from the lake.

They claimed that about 450 fishermen were dependent on the pond for livelihood and that over Rs. 2 crore worth of fishes would be lost due to release of water. They left the place after getting assurances from the officials.

According to officials, the water released from the Bhadrakali lake would not inundate areas around it as it would be stored at Chalivagu which has more than 20,000 million cubic feet capacity.

Currently, Bhadrakali pond has 130 million cubic feet of water. About 500 cusecs of water would be released every day from the pond. It would take at least 15 days to empty the tank and take up desilting works, the officials added.

The people of the Warangal city have been alerted about the water release and municipal authorities are taking measures to avoid submergence of areas through which the water would be flowing.

The Bhadrakali Lake, which originally spanned 382 acres, has seen a reduction in area and storage capacity due to massive waste and silt accumulation. This has opened the door to encroachment by land mafias. In 2010-11, the irrigation officials fixed the Full Tank Level(FTL) of the lake and constructed a bund to check encroachments.

According to officials, after removing the water and taking up desilting works, measures would be taken to address the drainage flow into the pond so that only fresh water could be stored. The officials are expecting water storage level to increase by 50 million cubic feet after removal of silt and wastes.

Recently, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy directed officials to prepare proposals for the lake’s restoration and conduct a survey on surrounding illegal constructions.

The Bhadrakali lake is being developed into the largest Geo-Biodiversity Cultural Park – with promenades, historic caves, suspension bridges, natural trails, nesting ground and ecological reserves. Funds have also been sanctioned for strengthening the lake bund, under the HRIDAY scheme.