Thu Jan 02 16:01:44 UTC 2025: ## Hyderabad Investigates Vanishing Lake Amidst Encroachment Concerns
**Hyderabad, January 2, 2025** – The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has launched an investigation into the disappearance of Edulakunta lake in the Khanamet area of Serilingampally mandal. Local residents reported the lake’s vanishing, prompting HYDRAA, in collaboration with the Survey of India, to determine the lake’s original boundaries.
High-resolution maps from the National Remote Sensing Centre initially identified the lake’s location. HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath subsequently inspected the area and identified potential encroachments. A meeting with land claimants, including a real estate company and local residents, revealed allegations that the lake was filled in and encroached upon following the construction of a bridge near Hitech City. This allegedly blocked a surplus channel connecting Thammidikunta and Edulakunta lakes, leading to the former’s drying up.
The complainants argued that the lake’s location straddling Khanamet and Kukatpally boundaries contributed to the encroachment going unnoticed. A comprehensive survey conducted on Thursday by the Survey of India, using toposheets, confirmed the lake’s previous existence, identifying its full tank level and water spread area. Officials from HYDRAA, Irrigation, Revenue, GHMC, and HMDA participated in the survey. The investigation continues.
First Piper 