Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) started cleaning Katora Houz by using GCBs. The centuries-old pond is located at Golconda. The Principal Secretary Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Arvind Kumar informed the cleaning of the 16th century historic Katora House situated at a distance of 1 km from Golconda Fort through his tweet which says, “Katora Houz cleaning begins.. Floating trash collection (FTC) wasn’t possible because of lack of depth and we are doing it with JCBs.”
The over growth of wild bushes and the trash dumped by the locals lead to water stagnation of this pond.
Many representations were made to GHMC for the cleaning of this historical pond which used to supply drinking water during the Qutub Shahi reign in 16th century.
Thankfully, the GHMC allocated funds for cleaning operations and the works started.
Currently, the pond is filled with dirty water covered with weeds.
A foul smell emanates from the water which once was famed for its crystal clear water.
Picnic place for Qutub Shahis
During its heyday, this pond was a favorite picnic place for the Qutub Shahis.
The bowl shaped structure made of stone and mortar was built in 1560.
It was common in ancient time to have a city built either on the bank of a river or near a natural water body. In case of none, an artificial water body was built to supply drinking water to the residents of the city. Katora Houz was built to supply drinking water to the residents of Golconda.
The pond had its water supply through underground channels connected to Talaab-e-Durg, now Durgam Cheruvu.
Garden around pond
Gardens were set up around this 1 sq km pond to serve as a Royal picnic place.
When the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb laid siege to the Golconda Fort in 1687 the tank sustained the lives of the people who used its water for drinking for 8 long months of the siege.
The vibrant nations do not ignore their historical heritage. There is a need to launch an awareness campaign to educate the local population to safeguard their historical monuments.
Source: siasat
