Bum-Rukn-Ud-Dowla lake in Hyderabad’s Old City to be inaugurated in January

Amenities at the lake include walking tracks along the bund, play areas for children, gazebos to serve as resting spaces for senior citizens, parks and open gyms.

Hyderabad: The restoration of Bum-Rukn-Ud-Dowla lake is finally complete and all set for inauguration in January.

Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency’s (HYDRAA) commissioner AV Ranganath visited the site on Saturday, December 20, and directed officials to provide access roads and entry gates for easy flow of visitors.

The lake has been developed as a major recreational hub with walking tracks along the bund, play areas for children, gazebos to serve as resting spaces for senior citizens, parks and open gyms. It is surrounded by medicinal and native trees to create a pleasant environment.

The lake will also mitigate the risk of flooding in surrounding areas with inlets channelling rainwater from areas such as Rajendranagar and Aramghar, Ranganath said,

Lake area reduced to 4.12 acres after encroachment

Constructed in 1970 during the reign of the third Nizam, Sikandar Jah, by the then Prime Minister Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, its primary objective was to meet drinking water needs.

Spread over 104 acres of land, the water body started shrinking over time. When HYDRAA took up its restoration project in August last year, the lake measured just 4.12 acres.

Activist accuses HYDRAA of destroying lake

Earlier this month, Hyderabad activist Lubna Sarwath wrote to Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, accusing that HYDRAA was actually destroying the lake rather than saving it.

Her letter mentioned that during a field survey on December 3, she found the lake’s old bund was destroyed and a concrete road was laid inside the FTL (Full Tank Level).

She said that sewage water is entering the lake due to the presence of manholes and pipes inside the FTL.