The Covid-19-triggered lockdown is showing a positive impact not just on the air quality in the city, but also on the Hussain Sagar, one of the most important ‘watermarks’ of Hyderabad.
The lake, according to an official note from the Telangana State Pollution Control Board here on Monday, is monitored every month to assess the water quality of the lake at nine locations in and around the lake. Since there was no access to the Midstream area near the Buddha statue point due to the lockdown, samples were not collected from that point.
The PCB, which analysed the water samples for core parameters including pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Nitrates, free ammonia and biological parameters i.e., total coliform and faecal coliform, among others, found that the data from January to April showed the dissolved oxygen has increased and biochemical oxygen demand has decreased. As for the faecal coliform count too, the same decreasing trends were recorded at all the eight locations from where samples were taken.
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The impact of the lockdown, the PCB said, was visible clearly from the monitoring carried out on April 10 and 16.
“The analysis data before lockdown and after lockdown shows improvement in water quality of the lake with respect to increase in DO and decrease trends of BOD. The total coliform and faecal coliform is also showing decreasing trends before and during lockdown at all eight locations,” it said.
“The improvement in water quality could be due to arrest of human activities and anthropogenic activities like boating, recreation, eateries, around the lake,” it said, adding that the remediation works taken up by the government from March 3 could also have played a part in the improvement of water quality of the Sagar.
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The sampling locations were the outlet at Boat Club; outlet at Viceroy Hotel; Necklace Road; opposite NTR Garden; Lepakshi Handicrafts on Tank Bund; Sanjeevaiah Park; Sailing Club and Bridge-I (Inlet), with the dates of monitoring being January 1, February 14, March 18, April 10 and April 16.