The Hussain Sagar, the largest man-made lake has improved its water quality amid the coronavirus lockdown. The lake was extremely polluted before the lockdown.
As per the data released by the State Pollution Control Board, the lake had been sampled at nine sampling locations on five days from January to April. Amid lockdown, monitoring was carried out on April 10 and 16.
The results showed that the Dissolved Oxygen(DO), has increased and Biochemical Oxygen Demand(BOD0 has decreased. Faecal coliform too has also minimised.
P Eshwar Reddy, Executive Director, BDMA, said during April, the PCB’s data showed that the DO levels during had gone up to 7.3mg/ lit which as per CPCB norms should be above 4mg/lit. DO levels are required for the substance of aquatic life. The BOD level during lockdown has come down to almost 8mg/ lit from a pre lockdown range of 24 to 76mg/lit.
The lake is monitored every month to assess the water quality of the lake at nine locations in and around the lake. Sample of the lake at Buddha Statue was not collected during the lockdown period as there was no access to the location.
Here’s why you need to delete Coronavirus tracker from your mobile phone
Hussain Sagar Lake is considered to be one of the largest man-made lakes in the country. The lake is shaped like a heart and circumvented by open spaces on all its four sides.
It has been built on a tributary of Musi river and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The lake is a hub for water sports, including parasailing, kayaking, pedal boat rides, canoeing, jet-skiing, boating, yachting, catamaran rides and even luxury cruises. The annual regatta (boat race), which is an annual affair, draws professional contestants from all over the world.
