A major lake restoration project at Krishnakanth Park in Hyderabad has brought renewed attention to the water body’s complicated history, including questions surrounding a sewage treatment plant (STP) that appears to have disappeared from the site over the years.
The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Development Agency (HYDRAA) has announced plans to expand and restore the lake in Yousufguda increasing its water spread from approximately three acres to 12 acres. The initiative aims to improve rainwater storage and reduce flooding in Ameerpet and neighbouring localities during heavy rainfall.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath is overseeing the proposed development, which is estimated to cost ₹7.5 crore. The larger lake is expected to help manage stormwater runoff and improve the area’s flood management capacity.
From a Garbage Dump to a Recreational Park
The history of Krishnakanth Park dates back more than two decades. The 22 acre recreational space was developed in 2003-04 and officially opened in 2004 by the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
According to N. Chandramohan Reddy, who was then Director of Urban Forestry at the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the site was originally a massive garbage dump rather than a lake.
He recalled that considerable effort went into removing accumulated waste and developing the park. Three separate ponds were constructed to provide water for the park’s greenery, along with gazebos, lawns and other recreational facilities.
However, older residents remember a very different landscape.
Residents recall that the area once contained a large lake covering approximately 22 acres, which supplied water for agricultural activities. During the 1980s, water flowed from the lake through Madhura Nagar, with paddy fields spread across both sides.
Over time, rapid urbanisation, sewage discharge and industrial waste polluted the water body, eventually turning it into a dumping ground.
One of the most significant questions surrounding the redevelopment concerns a sewage treatment plant constructed inside the park during 2003-04.
According to engineering officials involved in the original project the STP was built in the southwestern corner of the park with a treatment capacity of 0.6 million litres per day (MLD).
The facility included filtration aeration and sedimentation systems. A pipeline transported treated wastewater from the plant to the ponds, while another pipeline supplied fresh stormwater from the northeastern side.
A 12 foot wide stormwater drain also passed through the park, allowing excess rainwater to flow into the lake.
Over the years, the water bodies reportedly filled up mainly during the monsoon and remained dry during summer. This seasonal pattern indicated that sewage was being prevented from entering the ponds.
However, the treatment plant gradually became non operational because of inadequate maintenance.
Satellite Images Reveal Changes at the Site
The disappearance of the STP has raised questions about how the facility was removed and whether the necessary decommissioning procedures were followed.
A Central Pollution Control Board report from 2021 still listed the treatment plant as non operational indicating that it remained officially recognised at that time.
An analysis of Google Earth satellite images suggests that the STP site began to be filled in from May 2021. Structures belonging to a garbage transfer station subsequently appeared in its place.
The facility is now part of a waste transfer station managed by Hyderabad Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Limited (HIMSW), a special purpose vehicle associated with Renvion, formerly known as Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited.
The transfer station was handed over to HIMSW in 2021 and access to the premises is strictly controlled.
In response to questions Renvion stated through its public relations agency that the waste collection centre was transferred to HIMSW in 2021 and that a modern transfer station was developed within the premises provided by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
The company also stated that the necessary approvals for the improvements had been reviewed and approved by GHMC and the Environmental Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI). It denied the existence of any sewage treatment plant within the transfer station.
A query sent to GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan remained unanswered at the time of publication.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath has announced plans to construct a new sewage treatment plant inside the park, with a proposed capacity of 1-2 MLD.
The facility is intended to provide treated water for the expanded lake, supporting its long term maintenance and water quality.
However, the announcement has also highlighted questions about the previous STP, its maintenance history, the stormwater drainage infrastructure and the circumstances under which the original facility was replaced by a garbage transfer station.
The proposed restoration is expected to significantly change the existing 22-acre recreational space.
According to the redevelopment plan, three existing ponds will be merged into a single larger water body. Work to remove and relocate trees has already begun, with 34 trees marked for felling and another 156 identified for translocation.
The expansion will reduce the space available for the park’s existing lawns, trees, gazebos and recreational facilities.
The project is based on the argument that the park occupies land that originally formed part of a larger lake.
The redevelopment of Krishnakanth Park therefore raises two important issues: the need to restore natural water bodies to reduce urban flooding and the importance of transparency, environmental planning and accountability in managing public infrastructure.
As Hyderabad prepares to expand the lake, the unanswered questions surrounding its former sewage treatment plant remain an important part of the site’s environmental history.