450-Year-Old Hussain Sagar Lake In Hyderabad Has Become So Polluted That It's Spewing Froth

Hussainsagar is now frothing. This is the first time that the historic lake, which once served the drinking water needs of lakhs of people in Hyderabad of yore, is frothing. This is an indication that the pollution levels in the Hussainsagar have gone from worse to worst. Already the lake, built about 450 years ago, is dead for all practical purposes and with pollutants of all description entering the lake unchecked, it has started frothing.

Snow white foam appeared all of a sudden in the Hussainsagar near the outlet on Friday morning.

According to experts, while foam or froth in a water body is a natural phenomenon during the rainy season, in case of a highly-polluted lake like Hussainsagar, it is the result of chemical reaction. Hussainsagar is bombarded by a variety of chemicals from agricultural waste to pharma residues and municipal sewage to industrial effluents.

"Frothing in Hussainsagar is an indication of critical pollution of the lake. With the rainy season gone, there is no run off of rainwater into the lake. All the lake is now getting is concentrated effluents. This will kill whatever aquatic life that still survives in the lake," said senior scientist and environment activist Dr K Babu Rao.
One of the inlet channels of Hussainsagar that pass under the Begumpet flyover began emitting pungent odour on Friday indicating the high concentration of effluents flowing through it.
Environment experts said though there have been instances of several lakes in Hyderabad giving out 'foamy snow' during rainy season following a downpour, this is the first time that Hussainsagar is frothing during winter.

Several research studies have revealed that the Hussainsagar had turned into a biological laboratory producing bacteria that have become resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Even third generation antibiotics are not responding to the bacteria that thrive in Hussainsagar.
Experts point out that since Hussainsagar is connected to the Musi, which in turn empties into the river Krishna, any sort of pollution in the historic lake is bound to affect the quality of water in other water bodies not only in Telangana but also AP.