Rukn ud Daula lake under threat of encroachment

HYDERABAD: The 250-year-old Bam Rukn-ud-Daula lake has fallen prey to encroachment. It is located opposite to Meer Aalam Tank, near National Police Academy, Hasan Nagar, Hyderabad. It was constructed by Nawab Mir Moosa Khan Rukn ud Daula, prime minister of Asaf Jah II, in 1770.
Earlier, unidentified individuals have begun dumping and levelling of the water bed. However, that was halted after the Rangareddy district collector passed orders to stall the activity.
The activists said, these developments will pose threat to both water bodies and to the future of city’s heritage.
The original size of the water body was close to 104 acres. With the present encroachment, the lake is likely to shrink by ten acres.
According to activist SQ Masood, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, GHMC and Save Our Urban Lake (SOUL) had conducted a joint inspection of the lake in 2011.
“The most shocking revelation was that the lake is not in the HMDA list of lakes,” said Maqsood.