Truck plunges into Mushki Cheruvu, safety concerns rise
HYDERABAD: A truck reportedly plunged into Mushki Cheruvu, a serene freshwater lake near Manikonda, on Sunday when the incident occurred. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
However, the bund is narrow, so only pedestrians and two-wheelers are allowed. Commuters have been violating this rule by crossing the path with large vehicles. Additionally, there were no proper barricades in place, resulting in accidents and vehicles falling into Mushki Cheruvu, said Madhulika, the Environmentalist and the Founder of Dhruvansh.
“In 2020, we began our restoration work at Mushki Cheruvu. As it is a freshwater lake, we closed all the sewage lines leading into the lake. Mushki Cheruvu Lake covers an area of 54 acres, with water originally spread across 15 acres. However, the lake now only covers an area of 5 meters,” said Madhulika.
Lake bund of Mushki cheruvu in @ManikondaMc,four wheelers r driving too fast,resulted in accident.Complaint earlier also but invain.Hope a strong step taken by authorities before big casuality.@revanth_anumula @TelanganaCS @cdmatelangana @HMDA_Gov @EELakes_HMDA @CollectorRRD pic.twitter.com/1OWr8jYHtH
— madhulika S choudhary (@madhulikaS2) June 2, 2024
“In 2020, we began our restoration work at Mushki Cheruvu. As it is a freshwater lake, we closed all the seepages as well as sewage lines leading into the lake & increased water retention capability of Mushki Cheruvu.Mushki Cheruvu Lake covers an area of 54 acres, with water spread at present 15 acres as it’s WEIR has been broken by irrigation dept. However, the lake bund width is only 5 meters,” said Madhulika.
“In 2021, due to the flooding of Mushki Cheruvu and the danger it posed to commuting on the bund, Collector Ranga Reddy visited the spot and ordered that only pedestrians and two-wheelers should travel. Initially, barricades were put in place, but they were removed after six months. Now, it has become common for people to violate the rules, with even four-wheelers taking this shortcut. Heavy traffic is common on this route, and today a truck fell down,” as revealed by the environmentalist.
“GO 111 was implemented to protect the environment around Gandipet, prohibiting construction within a 10 km radius. Despite these regulations, numerous high-rise buildings, including 21-storey and 50-storey structures, are being erected, blatantly violating the rules. The authorities should look into this matter as soon as possible,” said Madhulika.
Madhulika implored the Manikonda Municipality to take immediate action, including reinstating barricades and enforcing vehicle restrictions, before any tragic incident occurs at the bund.