Sight Seeing in Various South Indian Cities - Hyderabad

IDYLLIC LOTUS POND: Hyderabad was once a sprawling city speckled with placid lakes and serene ponds. It was often referred to as the 'city of lakes' during Nizam's era. But times have changed so as the landscapes. Lakes were converted into residential colonies and garbage dumping grounds and the lush green trees that once dotted the city dwindled in number.
In this backdrop, Builders Forum, an association of builders resurrected a dying pond by converting it into a beautiful water body encompassing blooming lotus flowers and blossoming water lilies. Named as Lotus pond, the oval shaped water body located at Road # 12, Banjara Hills Extn, was once a grazing ground for cattle, swimming pool for the people, garbage and sewerage dumping ground for local residents and also a dhobighat for the washermen.
"The pond has been neglected over the years leading to rapid deterioration of the water body. Builders Forum seeing the inherent scope for beautifying the area embarked upon an ambitious project of developing the pond with the help from Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad," said Mr Yoganand, Secretary, Builders Forum. The Lotus pond is categorised under eco-conservation project as it has been built without disturbing the natural habitat present there.

The Builders Forum has done a tremendous work in resurrecting the pond. First, the storage capacity of the lake was improved by increasing the vent level by more than five feet and constructing a bund all around the lake. The same bund constructed with Bangalore stone slabs with grass joints near the entrance of the pond has been developed as a pathway. The sloped surface of the bund is pitched with rubble stone, which has enhanced the beauty of lake.
"It has taken four months to clean and remove about 500 lorry loads of waste material such as garbage, debris, plastic bags etc. The sewerage and garbage from the local residential houses have been prevented from spoiling the pond. The municipal authorities relocated about eighty families of washer men from Lotus pond. As a result of above efforts there is a lot of improvement in the ground water levels with the water table going up in the surrounding areas," said Mr Yoganand standing in the newly laid lawns of the Lotus pond.The pond is wearing a picturesque look today. The entire pond is now surrounded by lush green trees, colourful gardens and a 1.2 km greenish pathway for the visitors to enjoy the beauty of the pond.

The pond which is spread across eleven acres is also a home to twenty species of birds like Indian Moorhen, pied kingfisher,white wagtail, little grebe, coot, shoveller, small blue kingfisher, purple sunbird, little egret, Indian small skylark, piktail etc. "Lotus pond provides delight to any bird watcher," said Mr Yoganand. One can find some rare and exotic birds taking a dip in the water and strolling along the lake banks.After doing so much work the Builders Forum is still not satisfied. It is planning to beautify the lake further by acquiring surrounding seven acres of land which will be utilised for building a cascade and the surrounding hills will be utilised for training trekking enthusiasts. "We have invested up to thirty five lakhs in shaping the lake and will invest fifteen lakhs more in near future," said Mr. Yoganand revealing the future plans.

BIRLA SCIENCE CENTRE: Built on the Naubat Pahad near the Birla Mandir, is the Birla Science Centre. It comprises the Birla Planetarium and the Birla Science Muesum.

THE BIRLA PLANETARIUM: The Birla Planetarium is one of the most modern planetariums in the country. With equipment imported from Japan, it is being developed into a centre for the study of astronomy. Shows on the celestial bodies are held daily in English, Hindi and Telugu.
Timings: 10.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on the last Thursday of the month.

THE BIRLA SCIENCE MUSEUM: Museum of everyday science. Also located in the vicinity of the Birla Mandir and the Birla Planetarium is the Birla Science Museum. This houses various exhibits on different themes of science. The interactive models are especially educative as well as engaging. Timings: 10.30 a.m. to 8.15 p.m. Closed on the last Tuesday of the month.