Durgam Cheruvu, also known as Raidurgam Cheruvu, is a freshwater lake located in

Rangareddy district Ranga Reddy district ( R. R. district) is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The district headquarters is located at Lakdikapool, Hyderabad. The district was named after the former deputy chief minister of the United Andhra Pradesh, K ...

, Jagathgiri Gutta

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

, India. The lake, which is spread over , is located near the city of

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. The lake is also known as Secret Lake because it is hidden between the localities of

Jubilee Hills Jubilee Hills is an affluent suburban neighbourhood in Western part of Hyderabad, Telangana. It is one of the most expensive commercial and residential locations in India with prime land prices fetching up to 300,000 ($4015) per square yard. A t ...

and

Madhapur Madhapur is a suburb of Hyderabad, India. It is noted as a centre of information technology activity. The heart of this area is called HITEC City which has the highest concentration of IT/ITES establishments in the city. Located in Ranga Reddy ...

. The Durgam Cheruvu Bridge, which traverses the lake, was inaugurated in September 2020.

History

Under the rule of the

Qutub Shahi dynasty The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the coll ...

(ca. 1518–1687), this lake served as the drinking water source for the residents of

Golkonda fort Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

. The lake was inaugurated on August 28, 2018 by Mr.

K. T. Rama Rao Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (born 24 July 1976), popularly known by his initials KTR, is an Indian politician serving as the Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology of Telan ...

Tourism

In 2001, the tourism department of the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

initiated steps to promote the lake as a tourist destination. As a part of this, five boats were to be deployed at the lake. In 2002, the lake started to become a destination for people who go for fishing as a pastime. Few people from the nearby city of

travel to this lake on the weekends to relax and enjoy fishing. To capitalise on the visitors, the local agencies expanded their tourism plans by turning the lake into a fishing zone. As a part of the various beautification steps, the area surrounding the lake was illuminated,

artificial waterfall An artificial waterfall is a water feature or fountain which imitates a natural waterfall. Artificial waterfalls have long been featured in traditional Japanese gardens, where they can serve to highlight a scene or to provide focus. The classic ...

s, a

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

and a floating fountain were added. In addition to this, proper seating arrangements, a walkway and restaurants were established. Adventure activities like

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

rappelling Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

, an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

and a sculptor park for artists were also introduced as attractions. An amphitheater, with a capacity to hold 1,500 people at a time, was also added for public access. The entire exercise was completed at a cost of . In 2018, the lake bund was upgraded with walkways as part of CSR activity by K Raheja group.

Controversies and pollution

Because of the unique rock formations abutting the lake, it was designated as a protected area. In 2001, the state high court issued an order to the local pollution board and the city's water supply and sewerage board not to allow development of new residential localities near the lake. Furthermore, the court order also asked these agencies to take immediate steps for prevention or collection and treatment of domestic sewage flowing into the lake from the residential colonies in the vicinity and catchment area of the lake. Despite these notifications, the local agencies have failed in controlling both pollution and illegitimate constructions on the lake bed. To tackle pollution in the lake, sewage treatment plants were set up by the local pollution control board in 2006. As years passed by, the plant became non-functional. Durgam Cheruvu is now a place to relax. There is an amphitheatre, and the On the Rocks cafeteria. Boating is also available. A

cable bridge The Cable Bridge, officially called the Ed Hendler Bridge and sometimes called the Intercity Bridge, spans the Columbia River between Pasco and Kennewick in southeastern Washington as State Route 397. It was constructed in 1978 and replaced the ...

with dancing fountain also adorns the lake.

Gallery

File:Early morning at Durgam Cheruvu.jpg, Early morning at Durgum Cheruvu File:RayaDurgam Cheruvu Masjid.jpg, Masjid at Raya Durgam Cheruvu Bund File:RayaDurgam Cheruvu Lakefront.jpg, Raya Durgam Cheruvu Lake front File:Durgam chervu flyover during construction .jpg, Durgam Cheruvu bridge under construction File:Long Exposure of Cable bridge on Durgam Cheruvu.jpg, Durgam Cheruvu bridge illuminated at night File:Meet the evil side of Hitech skyline (4281610065).jpg, Durgam Cheruvu near

HITEC City The Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City, abbreviated as HITEC City, is an Indian information technology, engineering, health informatics, and bioinformatics, financial business district located in Hyderabad, Tel ...

being slowly encroached by expanding city File:Raidurgam bridge after construction.jpg, Durgam Cheruvu bridge after construction

References

{{Hyderabad topics Lakes of Hyderabad, India Reservoirs in Telangana