lake became insufferable governor kumudben joshi as also governor kishan kant would lament in personal conversation about how the stench obliterated the joy of an enticing view from their residence then came a time when eating the lakes fi sh could endanger ones health although husainsagars beautifi cation has enraptured everyone the lake has been dying a slow death moreover the banks of husainsagar has become the best destination for the last journey of our politicians and who knows the fate of masab tank might befall husainsagar in a few decades and then the transition from a park to a mall will be only a matter of real estate strategytime and again independent organisations have run extensive experiments to study the water quality of the hussainsagar the results each time have thrown up startling facts about the deteriorating condition of the citys most important water body excerpts from some of those studies national environmental engineering research institute 199798 this water quality assessment was conducted by neeri on the request of the hyderabad metropolitan water supply sewerage board the study revealed a very low and in some locations zero presence of dissolved oxygen do in the hussainsagar thereby indicating the fragile lake water quality and the effect of organic pollution the study concluded that the lake was in an advanced stage of eutrophication which means that there was an increased plant growth in the water body according to experts this accelerated growth is either due to natural fertilizing agents washed from the soil or dumping of chemical fertilizers eutrophication may also occur due to drainage of sewage industrial wastes or detergents into a body of waterecology environment group national geophysical research institute 200708 the paper was prepared by members of ngri and points to the risk posed to the aquatic environment of hussainsagar thanks to the presence of heavy metals in the water especially lead tracing the pollution history of the lake the study points out how the water body initially did absorb the pollution impact but once its natural carrying capacity reached its limits adverse effects of the pollution started manifesting around 1970 in the form of deteriorating water quality fowl smell wild growth of macrophytes and breeding of mosquitoes by 1992 according to the paper the lake was reduced to a cesspoolcentre for science and environment 2012 as part of a comprehensive report on the water situation in india excreta matters the centre also studied the situation of water bodies in hyderabad it concluded that the hussainsagar once a primary source of drinking water of the city had shrunk significantly over the years and was posed with a serious threat from pollution and encroachment in this catchment area