Fox Sagar Cleanup drive from Today

WWF-India under the leadership of the Telangana State Special Protection Force is organising the Cleanup drive on 7th February

About a 100 Degree College students will take part in this cleanup drive. Cleanup kit, breakfast, drinking water and medical assistance will be provided at the drive.

Hyderabad, Feb 6 (Maxim News): The Telangana Special Protection Force adopted the Fox Sagar located at Jeedimetla Village, Quthbullapur Mandal from the Collector, Ranga Reddy District for the integrated and sustainable development of the lake and its environs in June 2016.

The lake has an FTL area extending to 482 acres. It has more than 159 species of birds both resident and migratory apart from other butterflies, snakes, fishes that also inhabit the area. It is a perennial water body. It is famous for its natural beauty known locally as Kolla Cheruvu, the Nizam constructed a dam on the lake naming it Fox Sagar in 1897, as part 31 lakes created for improving water sources for the city of Hyderabad. A pump house was built on the bund, constructed in a typical Nizam architecture. It, at the time, provided drinking and irrigation for nearby villages.

Dumping of wastes from the nearby industrial estates, sewage from the residential areas in the vicinity of the lake in Qutballapur Mandal, digging of borewells to tap water around the lake, the dumping of waste from the ‘shaadi khanas’ and the Jeedimetla Industrial Estate in the contiguous areas and the burning of plastic and garbage are among the identified threats to the 482 acre lake. It is noted while there has not been large scale encroachment of the lake area and its environs, the damage is being caused by the incessant use of the lake and its neighbourhood as dumping grounds for the industrial waste.

The TSSPF with the WWF have taken up the work of lake conservation, planning 3 main activities: Volunteer Engagement in raising awareness about lake; Water campaign with support of TSSPF, local stakeholders, WWF Volunteers, civil society organisation and government departments and Restoration of lake through biodiversity enhancement measures

All the agencies are to jointly launch a clean Fox Sagar campaign as a prelude to implementing any plan for the restoration of the picturesque lake that is also a big draw for many species of birds. The Hyderabad Birding Pals and the Friends of Flora and Fauna are collating data gathered from their members who are amateur photographers who visit the lake regularly to photograph the birds in recent years.

The WWF-India under the leadership of the Telangana State Special Protection Force is organising the Cleanup drive on 7th February, 2017 at 07.30 am onwards at Fox Sagar, Jeedimetla as the first outreach and volunteer cleanup programme. This programme is a part of the WWF’s “Water Tales-an untold story” campaign towards saving wetlands which has commenced in January, 2017.

This campaign is part of the joint initiative of the TS SPF and WWF in raising the level of consciousness and involving the Government Departments, Schools, Colleges, the local community heads and residents to come together to work on conservation and protection of Fox Sagar, the 2nd largest lake in Telangana after Hussain Sagar with a 119 years old history. This educational initiatives are designed to instil consciousness towards the environment in students.

About a 100 Degree College students will take part in this cleanup drive. Cleanup kit, breakfast, drinking water and medical assistance will be provided at the drive.

We invite you to cover the proceedings of the Cleanup drive and join the crusade for the rejuvenation of the Fox Sagar. While the cleanup drive begin at 07.30 am on 7th February, 2017.

The Nodal Officer of this programme is C. Jangaiah, Asst. Commandant, TS SPF, Mobile 8978681383 and Ms.Vidya Raghavan, Sr.Education Officer, WWF, Mobile 8886886476. (Maxim news)

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