Well known activist and Founder of Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL) Lubna Sarwat has opposed release of water from the twin reservoirs of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar before they are filled up to the Full Tank Level.
Through a public statement released on Tuesday, Ms. Sarwat said the release of water was “unauthorised, illegal, and immoral” and disputed the official claims of FTLs, 1,790 feet for Osman Sagar and 1,763.5 feet for Himayat Sagar.
The present FTL was a result of huge shrinkage in the area and storage capacity as there were encroachments within the reservoirs which was admitted by officials, she said. No action had been taken to remove the encroachments despite repeated representations, she lamented.
Citing a fact-finding tour, she said there were constructions, compound walls, fencings and vast land stretches inside the FTL boundaries of the lakes. FTL pillars of HMWS&SB had been found uprooted, she said.
Questioning why the FTL boundary map of the reservoirs had not been kept in public domain, Ms. Sarwat furnished pictures of a sports village encroaching on to the lake bed of Osman Sagar.
Expressing doubts about the “disproportionate” release of water, Ms. Sarwat demanded that the release be stopped, and FTL boundary maps along with the information about outflow and inflow be placed on the website.
She demanded immediate eviction of all the identified encroachments and dredging of all the landfills inside the FTL boundaries.
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