Hyderabad: 450-year-old Katora Houz revived

Katora Houz was built by Qutub Shahi rulers in 16th century

Hyderabad: The 450-year-old royal swimming pool located inside the Golconda Fort has been revived by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

The corporation cleaned the water body by deploying an 18-member team. During the 10-day cleaning process, water hyacinth and garbage were removed from the historic pool.

In order to address the mosquito menace, the anti-larval operation is being taken up.

Earlier too, the water body was cleaned using a floating trash collector. However, after a few days, the water hyacinth had once again covered the pool.

History of Katora Houz

The Katora Houz was built by Qutub Shahi rulers in the 16th century. It was constructed to store freshwater.

However, over the decades, the water body had turned into an eyesore due to water hyacinth infestation that had covered the lake.

Katora Houz
Courtesy “twitter/arvindkumar_ias”

Both officials and local residents were responsible for turning the historic lake into a sewerage tank. The lake remained under the sheet of water hyacinth for several years.

The water hyacinth and garbage dumped into the lake had become the breeding ground for mosquitoes. The mosquito menace is causing inconvenience to both local residents and visitors.

Stepwells in Hyderabad

Meanwhile, stepwells in the city are also being restored.

A few months back, Telangana urban development special chief secretary Arvind Kumar inaugurated the revived stepwell in Gachibowli.

The square-shaped well is a part of the Nizam era architecture. It is next to the Dilawar Shah Begum mosque in Tellapur, eleven kilometers approximately from Gachibowli.

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