HYDERABAD: Residents of colonies located near the Ramanna Kunta Lake are forced to wade through knee-deep water every time the city receives a spell of heavy rain. Maruthinagar, Seetharampuram, Ganeshnagar, Soujanya Colony and New City Colony, all of which are located on the low-lying side of the lake, are frequently inundated.

Pandu Yadav, a member of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), says “All the water and sewage flows into the 7-acre lake, causing it to swell up every time it rains heavily.”

Over 80 colonies located upstream of the lake pump their waste into it, and the 20 colonies that are located downstream are forced to bear the brunt of this. Only last month, permission was granted for the construction of a two-feet-wide overflow canal by the Ministry of Defence to ease the pressure on low-lying areas. However, locals do not believe that this will be sufficient to resolve the issue. “We need at least four such canals to take the water away, and that would require a sanction of Rs 2 crore. Until then the situation will remain the same,” says Mr Yadav.

Residents of Sri Malani Enclave, Padmanabha Colony, Surya Avenue, and Airlines Colony have been filing complaints with the Secunderabad Cantonment Board for the past several years, asking them to take up diversion works to connect the Ramanna Kunta Lake with the Trimulgherry Lake.

They say that no development works have been taken up in these colonies despite their having paid property taxes and the Swachh Bharat Cess for many years. They are forced to suffer from consequences such as skin ailments, a mosquito menace and a persistent foul smell.

Residents have requested the police to register a criminal case under Section 336 of the IPC 336 against the officials of the SCB for endangering the life or safety of others. They allege that the officials have released sewage into the Trimulgherry Lake knowing the lake land does not belong to the Board.