over 60 percent of waterbodies have been encroached

     

                                                                                                                                                                       A.V. Ranganath, IPS, Commissioner of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRA), addressed the National Conference on Urban Biodiversity during its valedictory session, underscoring his agency’s mandate to safeguard the city’s waterbodies, parks, and open spaces across various layouts.

In his speech, Ranganath revealed that over 60% of Hyderabad’s waterbodies have been encroached upon, highlighting the alarming rate of encroachment, which he noted is directly linked to rising land rates. He emphasized the absence of a comprehensive enumeration of the city’s waterbodies, but assured that HYDRA is actively working on creating a detailed database for better management and protection. "We are taking severe action, with the full support of the state government, to clear these encroachments," he stated.

 Ranganath also identified Ameenpur Lake, the country’s first heritage site to be recognized, as his agency's immediate priority for encroachment clearance. He expressed concern over the pollution of Hyderabad's waterbodies due to effluents, sewage, and industrial waste, and stated that coordinated efforts with the Pollution Control Board are underway to tackle these issues by enforcing sanctions.

Furthermore, Ranganath mentioned that HYDRA is in the process of setting up dedicated HYDRA police stations to help protect these critical common spaces, ensuring better security and management.

In the concluding remarks, C. Achalender Reddy, IFS (Retd), Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority, spoke on the future of urban biodiversity conservation. He noted that the urban population in India has reached 32%, with Telangana’s urbanization outpacing the national average. Emphasizing the importance of integrating green and blue spaces into urban planning, Reddy highlighted the alignment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 11 and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) Target 12, both of which aim to enhance urban green spaces for human well-being and biodiversity conservation. 

Reddy also informed that the National Biodiversity Authority is working on strategies to overcome financial constraints and secure dedicated funding for biodiversity conservation, ensuring a more sustainable future for urban ecosystems.