Hyderabad Lakes Turn Toxic: Fisheries Department Says Not a Single Lake Fit for Fish Survival
Hyderabad: In a disturbing revelation, a comprehensive study by the Telangana Fisheries Department has found that not a single lake within the Greater Hyderabad limits is suitable for fish survival, citing alarming pollution levels and severe environmental degradation. The findings underscore an unprecedented ecological crisis gripping the city’s water bodies.
According to the department, industrial effluents, untreated sewage, pharmaceutical waste, and hazardous chemicals have contaminated every major lake in the city. The high pollution load has rendered these water bodies unfit not only for fish farming but even for basic aquatic life.
800 Lakes, But None Healthy
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) records show over 800 lakes in the city. However:
- Nearly one-third have been encroached upon and converted into residential or commercial real estate.
- Most remaining lakes now serve as drainage sinks, receiving untreated sewage directly from households and commercial establishments.
- Several lakes have effectively become dumping yards for solid waste and industrial discharge.
Toxic Water Chemistry: Zero Chance for Fish
The Fisheries Department report documents shockingly toxic water parameters across city lakes:
- Dissolved Oxygen (DO) — must be 4–5 ppm for fish survival, but many lakes show below 2 ppm.
- Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) — should be under 3 mg/litre; several lakes recorded 50 mg/litre and above.
- Elevated ammonia, carbon dioxide, and heavy metals including mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and nickel—all traced to untreated industrial discharge, including from pharmaceutical units.
Officials confirm that these conditions make survival impossible even for resilient species such as catla, rohu, and tilapia.
Historic Ibrahim Bagh Lake Now a Toxic Zone
Once a thriving water body known for successful fish farming, the 440-year-old Ibrahim Bagh Big Lake (70 acres) has now succumbed to extreme pollution. For decades, it was the only lake in Hyderabad where the Fisheries Department regularly released around 60,000 fingerlings every year.
Today, that practice has stopped entirely.
What Went Wrong?
- Over 10,000 litres of chemical waste is reportedly dumped into the lake every day.
- Untreated sewage from Manikonda, Puppalaguda, Alkapur, and OU Colony flows directly into the lake.
- The water has turned pitch black, emitting a sharp chemical stench.
Local residents say the situation has grown so severe that the lake has become a public health hazard.
“Dissolved oxygen levels have collapsed. Forget fish – even humans can’t live near this lake anymore,”
complain residents from surrounding colonies, citing rising cases of respiratory illnesses, mosquito breeding, dengue, and other health issues.
“We Stopped Stocking Fingerlings 30 Years Ago” – Fisheries Official
Speaking to Velugu, a senior Fisheries Department official said:
“For the last 30 years, we have not released fingerlings in any lake within the Hyderabad city limits. Now, even Ibrahim Bagh lake has joined that list.”
He added that although major reservoirs like Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar have good water quality, fish farming is prohibited there due to drinking water protection rules.
The official admitted that the department now struggles to identify a single viable water body for fish seed stocking in the entire region.
Pollution Spreading Beyond Hyderabad
The crisis is not limited to urban lakes. The department has flagged similar contamination in lakes across:
- Sangareddy
- Medchal–Malkajgiri
- Rangareddy
Fish stocking is now permitted only after obtaining strict pollution clearance from the Pollution Control Board.
Environmentalists Call for Urgent Government Action
Environmentalists warn that Hyderabad’s lakes are on the brink of irreversible ecological collapse.
They are demanding:
- Immediate installation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) near all major lakes
- Strict enforcement to allow only treated water into these water bodies
- A total crackdown on industrial pollution, particularly repeat violators
- Restoration and desilting drives for historically significant lakes
Experts caution that unless decisive action is taken, Hyderabad risks losing its remaining lakes to pollution or encroachment within a decade.
“Only with immediate intervention can lakes like Ibrahim Bagh regain their past glory and once again support fish and aquatic life,” they warn.
