The demise of a lake, and recurring flood nightmare in Warangal

In 2010, a shanty settlement sprang up on the south-western fringe of Chinna Vaddepalli lake in Warangal. Within three years, the rising waters swallowed it complete, leaving no hint of the colony because the lake reclaimed its area. Years later, one other colony emerged in S.R. Nagar, simply metres from the identical lake. Unlike its predecessor, it flourished into low-income casual group housing with RCC roads. But, on August 11 and 12 this yr, torrential rain — 20 centimetres in 24 hours — turned it into an island. Residents fled to the houses of their pals and family whereas some had been rescued by emergency groups. The deluge introduced again recollections of August 2020, when floodwaters had invaded their houses in a lot the identical manner.

“Warangal is a area of tanks, nalas and water channels. People have crammed up the tanks and occupied the land the place nalas used to movement. Earlier, solely fringes had been occupied; now there’s a complete occupation of lakes and tanks. Where will the water go,” says Ok. Venkat Reddy, civil engineering professor on the National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Warangal, who has co-authored a paper on ‘Effects of Urbanization on land use land cowl of Warangal Region utilizing RS and GIS’. 

Viral movies from residents confirmed Hunter Road remodeled right into a brown, fast-moving river, flanked by retailers on each side. The street begins at Adalath Circle, 275 metres above sea degree, and slopes to about 262 metres because it skirts Bhadrakali Lake — a drop of over 13 metres throughout 4 kilometres. Water dashing down this gradient, aided by the dual hillocks of Tiger Hill and Padmakshi Temple, ought to have emptied naturally into Bhadrakali Lake. But the lake, already full, had been constricted by contemporary embankments constructed beneath the ₹64.90-crore ‘Bhadrakali Geo-Bio Diversity and Cultural Park’ venture, together with ₹26 crore for a granite-and-concrete promenade. This promenade, now a leisure area with lawns and play areas, has successfully shrunk the lake and blocked its pure influx.

Satellite photos present how the lake has shrunk as a consequence of all these beautification initiatives. Between 2010 and 2025, an space of 23 acres has been misplaced to the promenade that stretches over 3.14 kilometres with a median width of 30 metres.

“The lake ought to have a demarcated full tank degree. Bhadrakali Lake was a consuming water storage tank throughout summer time. Now it has turn out to be a cesspool with out correct drainage. The Bondivagu drainage system needed to be repaired,however that has not been carried out and all of the sewage is flowing into the lake. We are getting our consuming water from Dharmasagar balancing reservoir and the result’s that our nearest water supply is uncared for,” says a former NIT professor, requesting anonymity. “The deliberate islands within the lake are the whims and fancies of ill-informed officers,” he provides.

“Whenever there was heavy rainfall within the ‘70s and ‘80s, the water from the lake would overflow and attain the Ramannapet space. The Hunter Road was a abandoned stretch the place folks had been scared to transcend the Advocates Colony,” says Ok. Ram Mohan Rao, an advocate, who lives in Warangal and has seen the adjustments.

There had been many small lakes scattered round Bhadrakali Lake and Vaddepalli Lake. But as land costs went up, the lakes acquired crammed, allegedly with political patronage. 

 “The outcomes point out a drastic improve in urbanisation and barren land, extreme lower in vegetation and a really slight improve in waterbodies. Increase in urbanisation and reduce in agriculture-cum-forest signifies vegetation discount and built-up space increment which straight impacts the local weather and setting,” concludes the research that spanned over a six-year interval between 2014 and 2020, exhibiting a 11.04% improve in urbanisation.

This speedy urbanisation at the price of agricultural land impacted areas like Vivekananda Colony, Saiganesh Colony, SR Nagar, and Lakshmi Ganapati Colony in Kashibugga and NTR Nagar, Sainagar Colony, Shivanagar, Balaji Nagar, Ursu Gutta, DK Komuraiah Nagar, Ekashila Nagar, Gokul Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar in Hanamkonda. It was these areas that acquired flooded in 2020, 2023 and once more this yr.

“The key to flooding in components of town is the encroachment of Bondivagu Nala. Its carrying capability has declined as a consequence of speedy urbanisation. The lakes must be demarcated clearly to cease encroachments. The nalas are affected as they’re choked with plastic waste. Unless the plastic waste is cleaned regularly and a greater drainage system is constructed, flooding in Warangal isn’t going to go away,” says Mr. Reddy.