HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has uncovered a concerning pattern of encroachments on the Full Tank Level (FTL) land of the city's lakes, allegedly carried out under the cover of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-funded restoration projects.
According to HYDRAA officials, nearly 100 acres of lake land worth over Rs 10,000 crore have been reclaimed from encroachers across multiple water bodies in recent months. In the latest instance, reported in May, the agency found that a developer had allegedly attempted to encroach on more than 35 acres within Mushkin Lake in Puppalguda by constructing a bund across the water body as part of a CSR project intended to beautify and restore the lake.
Officials found garbage collected from surrounding areas being segregated and dumped into the lake, further damaging the ecosystem.
This comes close on the heels of a similar case at Kotha Cheruvu in Kokapet, near Hyderabad's IT corridor, which was handed over to private entities for CSR activities in 2022-23. The HYDRAA team claimed that realtors had allegedly reduced the lake's extent from 70 acres to 50 acres by dumping soil and constructing a bund across it.
"Basketball and volleyball courts, a park, and a children's play area were also developed within the lake's FTL limits," an official from the agency said.
According to HYDRAA records, between 2021 and 2023, several lakes handed over to private groups for restoration and maintenance witnessed similar violations. While the agency blamed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for the lapses, civic officials denied the allegations.
"Along with HMDA, the civic body entrusted lake restoration projects to private players willing to invest in conservation activities. These included fencing, plantation drives, removal of water hyacinth, prevention of sewage inflows, and other rejuvenation measures. Most agreements were signed for one to two years," said a senior GHMC official.
However, HYDRAA officials alleged that one such project at Kamuni Cheruvu in Moosapet resulted in encroachments and unchecked sewage inflows into the water body.
"Residents from the area approached us in February seeking the removal of encroachments at Kamuni Cheruvu, alleging that portions of the lake had been filled with debris," a HYDRAA official said. He added that in 2024, the agency demolished multiple under-construction buildings that had come up within the buffer zone of Erla Cheruvu. The lake was among dozens handed over to corporates for rejuvenation and development.
Officials believe these cases may be only the tip of the iceberg. They suspect that several lakes handed over to real estate players and NGOs for restoration under CSR programmes may have subsequently witnessed encroachments. According to them, lake development activities were allegedly used as a pretext to alter lake boundaries and facilitate future commercial exploitation.
"Certain private players employ a gradual process to occupy lake lands. Economically weaker sections are often encouraged to put up temporary huts on lake beds. The areas are then slowly filled with soil and debris, bunds are created, and the FTL area is reduced, paving the way for future real estate development," said AV Ranganath, commissioner, HYDRAA.
He added that "While we will not disturb existing buildings and apartments, we are removing fencing and clearing vacant lands encroached upon for real estate interests."
Authorities also pointed to encroachments at Malkam Cheruvu in Khajaguda, where gradual occupation of lake land over the years has allegedly enabled large-scale real estate development and the construction of high-rise residential complexes.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, said that even government-owned lands have been subjected to encroachments and that lakes lacking clearly demarcated FTL boundaries and buffer zones are particularly vulnerable.
"When lakes are handed over to private firms under CSR initiatives, the focus is often limited to beautification efforts undertaken by architects and consultants. Once these projects are completed, inadequate monitoring and enforcement by authorities leave the water bodies susceptible to encroachment, pollution, and other forms of misuse," said BV Subba Rao, who has worked on several lake restoration projects.
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