Green, foul-smelling water triggers alarm at Jurala reservoir | Hyderabad News

Dead fish seen in the Jurala reservoir

Hyderabad: At a time when concerns are mounting over nil inflows into irrigation projects and reservoirs, the water in Priyadarshini Jurala reservoir turning dark green with a foul odour five days ago has triggered concern among residents, farmers and fishermen in the region..Following the mysterious discoloration of the Jurala backwaters, officials of the rural water supply and irrigation departments began probing the cause. The change in water colour and suspected contamination also led to the death of fish in the reservoir.The rural water supply department draws water from the project to supply 308 villages and four municipalities — Gadwal, Ija, Waddepally and Alampur — every day. Following the change in colour, officials halted water supply and sent samples for testing a couple of days ago.“We suspected the presence of bacteria and E. coli in the water and sent both raw and treated water samples for testing. The results showed no presence of bacteria. The water appeared to contain algae, but that usually happens during summer. We are now suspecting contamination from upstream areas,” Ravi Chandra Kumar Reddy, deputy executive engineer of the Mission Bhagiratha scheme in Gadwal, told TOI.He said the department was monitoring the water quality daily and that the colour was slowly returning to normal.

Water quality is slowly returning to normalcy, officials said

Several residents in and around Gadwal suspect that industrial effluents discharged into the Krishna from upstream areas in Karnataka’s Raichur industrial belt may have contributed to the deterioration in water quality. Allegations that untreated industrial waste is entering the river have raised concern among local communities.Fishermen who regularly enter the reservoir for their livelihood said they had experienced skin problems after coming into contact with the water in recent days. They expressed concern that continued pollution could affect fish populations and disrupt fishing activity in the region.Farmers dependent on the reservoir for irrigation have also voiced apprehension over the possible impact on crops if the water quality continues to deteriorate. The issue has also raised concerns among tourists visiting the reservoir, with many complaining about the foul smell and visible change in the water.Irrigation department officials said the discoloration could be due to stagnant river flow, waste from recent Ganesh festivities and discharge from nearby fish ponds mixing with the reservoir water. Residents have urged authorities to collect more water samples and conduct scientific tests to establish the exact cause of the discoloration.