Hyderabad: Hyderabad Disaster Response Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) commissioner AV Ranganath, on Saturday, December 28, announced that from 2025, the agency will use “Digital Elevation Models” (DEM) to demarcate the full-tank level (FTL) of various lakes under its jurisdiction.
Addressing the media at Buddha Bhavan in Hyderabad during the presentation of HYDRAA’s achievements in 2024 and its road map for 2025, Ranganath said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was entered between HYDRAA and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to identify the contours of various lakes in the city.
HYDRA shifts focus to rejuvenating lakes in Hyderabad
The HYDRAA commissioner said that satellite images with one-metre resolution were being sought from the period 2000 to 2014 from NRSC, in addition to aerial/drone images obtained from the period 2006 to 2023. The data will be compared to ascertain if any changes were made to the contours at any given point of time.
By using the DEM, Digital Terrain Models (DTM), and Bathymetric survey, the HYDRAA commissioner informed that data on how a lake’s contours changed over the years could be ascertained.
Cadastral maps, sethwars, 1956 khasra pahanis, lake memoirs, survey of India toposheets, and other documents will also be used to ascertain the FTL, the HYDRAA commissioner said.
To demarcate the boundaries of nalas, Ranganath said that the surveys done by Kirloskar and Voyants in the past will be taken as the base, in addition to the village maps.
The HYDRAA commissioner announced that geo-fencing of parks and government lands was completed in 2005, and efforts are underway to identify landfilling sites for debris disposal in hollow areas.
Ranganath also said that HYDRAA has requested the director general of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide an additional doppler weather radar station. A request for funds has been proposed to the state government, he said.
“Presently we have 154-odd automatic weather stations (AWS) which give us weather forecasts in an area of 2×2 km. We want to achieve 1×1 km accuracy,” he said, adding, “The proposal to increase the number of AWS has been proposed before the state government,” he informed.
He said HYDRAA will hire a dedicated weather data evaluation team with scientists and was also contemplating setting up a weather FM channel of its own or leasing the work out to some channel.
“Once the FTL demarcation of all 1,025 water bodies identified by HYDRAA is completed, the encroachments that came up after July 19, 2024 (when HYDRAA was formed) will be removed/demolished, and if any permissions were given for constructions after that date, action will be initiated against the erring officials,” Ranganathan said.
HYDRAA has acted on eight parks, 12 lakes, and four government lands, reclaiming 200 acres of land to date, as part of the assets protection and removal of encroachments.
He said that HYDRAA has prepared detail project reports (DPR) for the rejuvenation of 12 lakes which were awaiting approval from the state government.
HYDRAA’s disaster response
Ranganath said that since its inception, HYDRAA has responded to and cleared 3,428 tree falls, 912 water stagnations, addressed 199 rescue calls, and 133 fire accidents in the last five months.
“The agency presently has 30 disaster response teams, which will soon expand to 72 teams from January 2025. We will also upgrade the disaster response force training center in Nagole and establish HYDRAA police stations,” Ranganathan informed.
Hyderabad: HYDRA to demolish all commercial buildings without permits
He reiterated that only residential houses with permissions granted before July 19, 2024, will be recognized, while illegal commercial constructions built before that date will face strict action.
“Complaints from residential welfare associations will be given first priority while taking action,” he said.
