Working to preserve and restore lakes, Dhruvansh an NGO, has undertaken a number
of restoration efforts for giving facelift to lakes across Hyderabad city.
Dhruvansh, a Hyderabad-based environmental non-profit organisation, is determined to preserve and restore the lakes in and around Hyderabad to their former beauty. The group has carved out a place in lake protection and restoration, by employing tried-and-true scientific approaches!
Lakes in Hyderabad are at risk due to chemical sewage disposal, land invasion by eager real estate developers, and threats to indigenous flora and fauna. The organisation’s goal is to conserve lakes that are in desperate need of rehabilitation. They have undertaken a number of restoration efforts in the hopes of developing a paradigm for long-term lake preservation.
It employs an environmentally friendly form of integrated wetland management that includes floating treatment, ecological beds, tailored floating aerators, and phytoremediation plants. Some examples include bioremediation, storm water treatment and management, and catchment area development. So, what does it mean? Madhulika Choudhary, the NGO’s founder and CEO, and her team have been working for almost nine years to return the lakes to their natural calm form. She refers to her method as ‘Integrated floating wetlands treatment’ technology, which uses small artificial platforms to allow aquatic emergent plants to flourish in water that is generally too deep for them. “It is a combination of phytoremediation and aeration. This technology not only improves lake health, but it also addresses biodiversity issues and human mindset,” explains the founder, who is also known as “Lady of Lakes” in Hyderabad city.
The NGO has used crowd-funding to keep the restoration efforts on track. In addition, little CSR financing from various groups has been critical to their objectives. They run numerous awareness activities in the surrounding community, schools, and colleges to educate young people about their sustainable lake restoration concept. They include plantation drives, cleaning drives, composting, bioenzyme production, and bird nesting, among others. These activities also involve the construction of paths and gazebos surrounding the lake, which promotes a sense of responsibility within the community. They also have social media warriors who raise awareness on various social media platforms, which aids in bringing the topic to the public, particularly the youth.
The group has restored several lakes, including the first Neknampur Lake, Novotel Lake, Mushki Lake, Chandana Lake, Ibrahimpatanam Lake, and Pleasant Valley Lake. Dhruvansh initiated this project in 2014 but has yet to meet its goal. It is evident that this is an uphill battle, as Madhulika notes, using Neknampur Lake as an example: “So, it has been 8 years now that I’m restoring the Neknampur Lake, and I still feel that I need 7 more years to actually say that Neknampur Lake is a complete restoration model.”
She goes on to say, “So when you poison a lake, even for just 5 years, you pollute not only the water but the entire area and psyche as well. So it will take around 15 years to re-engineer everything. You don’t just have to rehabilitate the lake, but also the brains.”
NITI Aayog has named Neknampur Lake the best restoration model for the past two years, and it is included in the ‘Compendium of best practices in water management 3.0’. This accomplishment benefits not only the organisation, but also all environmentalists working to restore such water bodies throughout India.
When it comes to the issues that the organisation faces on a regular basis, the majority of them stem from a lack of knowledge of lakes and their protection. According to Madhulika, “Residents who have built their homes in the catchment region, which is land that collects water after rainfall and is surrounded by hills, are experiencing water-related concerns. The problem emerges when educated people refuse to grasp, or remain ignorant, about how the lake is restored. People desire to live in lakefront apartments yet don’t seem to care about conserving the lakes. They also have a strong front of social media warriors eager to battle for lake preservation and restoration, but there aren’t enough on the ground. I don’t understand how a perpetually deteriorating environment can be rebuilt without conflict. Change can only occur when there is resistance, and when you meet obstacles, you have the opportunity to change. A few people, like me, are prepared to face that resistance. The issue is that individuals are not able to fight directly for the lakes. They want to battle on social media and feel like they’ve made a difference.”
When asked about the durability of her work, the water conservationist says, “I find that lakes are ecologically equal to temples. A staff works on a regular basis to keep temples in good condition. Each of them has specific responsibilities, and then people arrive and contribute in the form of donations. The same model aids in the restoration of lakes because they contain the same living gods, known as Pancha Bhuta. We have a team constantly watching and protecting.” She also highlights the importance of community actions, saying, “I am simply a conduit for you to truly restore the lake. Whatever you do to help the environment, you are benefiting both yourself and future generations.”
Dhruvansh’s community participation projects have rejuvenated many afflicted lakes in Hyderabad. Hope for the future of their ecosystem radiates through the organisation’s determination to address this issue!
