Turkayamjal Lake is dying a slow death with loads of debris, plastic, weed

 Located close to highway, history and heritage tagged to it, a lush green locale and not too far from the city either. None of these factors, however, have saved the Masab Cheruvu, popular as the Turkayamjal Lake, from becoming the target of those who have scant regard for nature or its precious resources.

This Nizam’s era lake, which has rarely dried up even during the strongest of summers, is dying a slow death with loads of debris, plastic, weed and garbage hiding the lake’s beauty beneath them.Spread across 320 acres in Turkayamjal village of Hayat Nagar, the lake has not protective fencing, with huge chunks of it already taken over by land-grabbers, thus blocking inflows into the lake. Instead of rainwater inflows, what the lake receives is drainage water from surrounding areas.“The public have to realise that they need to play their part in saving and recharging water bodies. Restoration of the lake can be done effectively with the involvement of both community and government,” said Lubna Sarwath, co-convener, Save Our Urban Lakes.

“This lake is named after Hayath Bakshi Begum of Qutb Shahi dynasty. Begum was popularly known as Ma Saheba (revered mother), thus the name Masab Lake,” said INTACH convenor Anuradha Reddy.“This lake is near the national highway, but the authorities are not concentrating on developing this lake into a tourist spot,” said Mohammed Wasim, a resident of Hayat Nagar. “The vicinity of the lakes has turned into a garbage dump and during night time, this place has become a hub for illegal activities”, he added.If the lakebed is filled with garbage, the surroundings of the lake have stray pigs and dogs roaming around,” said V Sridhar, a resident of Turkayamjal village.

Hope, however, is not entirely lost.The State government’s proposal to revive lakes in and around the city has included the Turkayamjal Lake as well, with officials saying the first phase of revival will see introduction of cycle tracks, walking tracks and open gyms around the lake, apart from efforts to clean it up. The work, however, is yet to begin.