Hyderabad: Like the unique identification number in the form of Aadhaar card, the Telangana government has started giving UIDs to lakes across the state. This is seen as a concrete step by the government to check rampant encroachments in lake areas.

“With complete FTL markings and topography, the UIDs will give details of each lake on a click. There are over 2,857 lakes in Ranga Reddy region and 2,021 have been marked already,” said an official at the Ranga Reddy district collectorate’s office.

Of the over 46,531 lakes across Telangana, the 3,000-plus lakes in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts have already been marked. Telangana Remote Sensing Application Centre has taken up the project.

For the lakes in Greater Hyderabad limits, the authority has collected information from the master plan section of HMDA.

“In the special website that is in the making, the lake areas will be marked in blue. Besides, it will also mention the name of the engineer working on its restoration and the budget allocated for it,” said an official with Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority.

“While the district administration is updating this information online, over 90 per cent of lakes in Greater Hyderabad have been subjected to encroachments,” added the official.

While, environmentalists see this move as a significant step towards protection of lakes, removing the existing encroachments and rehabilitating them will be a tough task.