History | Tourist Place | Protected Area | Construction Plans | Not a Selfie Point  

A freshwater lake called Durgam Cheruvu, often referred to as Raidurgam Cheruvu, is situated in Telangana’s Rangareddy district. The lake, which covers an area of 83 acres (34 hectares), is close to Hyderabad. Due to its location between Jubilee Hills and Madhapur, the lake is known as Secret Lake. The inauguration of the Durgam Cheruvu Bridge, which crosses the lake, occurred in September 2020.

Check out details regarding Dharani Portal Telangana and Top IT companies in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad’s Durgam Cheruvu is currently not in very good condition. The lake, formerly among the biggest in the Cyberabad region, is filled with water hyacinth and has dead waste on its surface.

durgam cheruvu
Source: Photo by Rishabh Modi on Unsplash

History of the Durgam cheruvu

The lake could supply the fort’s water needs because it is geographically higher than the Golconda fort’s location. According to historian Mohammed Safiullah, it was so trustworthy that even during the eight-month Mughal siege of Golconda, all of the lake’s water requirements were satisfied.

As a Tourist Place 

In 2002, tourists who came to the lake to fish began to arrive. On the weekends, a small number of residents of the surrounding city of Hyderabad visit this lake to unwind and enjoy fishing. Local tourism organizations expanded their ideas by making the lake a fishing area to profit from the visitors. The beautification measures were constructed.

In addition, there were permanent restaurants, a 2 km (1.2 km) boardwalk, and appropriate seating arrangements. An artificial lake for artists, an art gallery, and adventure activities including rock climbing, hiking, and climbing 1,500-person capacity arena was created for general public use. 

The entire exercise cost 20 million ($260,000) to finish. 2018 saw the addition of paths to the lake bund as part of K Raheja Group’s CSR initiative.

The Region of Protected Area at Durgam Cheruvu

The lake’s region was declared a protected area due to the unique rock formations there. The city’s water supply and sewage board, as well as the regional pollution control board, were given a directive by the state’s high court in 2001 not to permit the construction of new residential neighborhoods close to the lake. 

Additionally, the court decision required these organizations to act immediately to stop or collect and treat domestic sewage being dumped into the lake from residential colonies in the area and catchment area of the lake. 

hyderabad durgam cheruvu
Source: Photo by Vardhan Maddirala on Unsplash

Despite these warnings, local authorities have been unable to stop pollution or illegal development on the lake bed. Sewage treatment facilities were built by the neighborhood pollution control board in 2006 to address lake contamination. Over time, the plant lost its ability to function. 

Now, Durgam Cheruvu is a location to chill.  On the Rocks restaurant and a theatre are both present, and boating is also accessible. The lake is also decorated by a cable bridge with a dancing fountain.

Some kinds of Government Construction Plans 

The bridge was initially intended to support the road with 3-5 pillars. Still, due to environmental concerns, the government was forced to settle for a connector bridge with just two posts carrying the cables. 

Early in 2019, construction tenders were opened. L&T (Larson and Toubro) ultimately won the contract, and on 9 March 2019, work got underway. It was planned for the bridge to be finished in April or May 2020 and to open in June 2020. 

However, because of the Covid-19 Global Pandemic, work was completed in August instead of the planned September 25 opening by Telangana Minister K. T. Rama Rao and Government of India Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy. The span is Hyderabad’s longest cable-stayed bridge.

Many activists had hoped that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) would act to stop the encroachments on the lake when it recently began its destruction campaign in response to the severe rains that had hit the city.

Residential and commercial encroachments on lakes were not destroyed; instead, the municipal authority stuck to clearing encroachments on “nalas,” or drains.

Hazardous from a Selfie Point of View 

(Not a selfie point )

The freshly opened cable-stayed bridge over Durgam Cheruvu in Hyderabad may be seen for the first time after a 1.5 km drive on a flyover on Jubilee Hills Road Number 45. However, once the bridge is in view, drivers and passengers start experiencing an odd phenomenon.

Some of them slow down their cars to a crawl, others stop to take pictures, and a few more start taking selfies while driving while completely unaware of potential fast-moving vehicles.