From Wild to Wonderful -- Women Take the Lead

'Chalta hai!' चलता है। 

'Not our job."

"Municipality will clean it."

A half-km long promenade by Yapral lake had been blocked by the wild growth during monsoons. Many visitors and walkers had noticed it. However, most of them reacted in a nonchalant manner as above. Except few women residents of an adjoining enclave who came together to clean up the promenade. These women employed labour and supervised the cleaning of the entire pathway. They also liaised with the horticulture and other departments for periodic upkeep. Sharing a few pictures for the readers to appreciate the 'before' and 'after' scenario.

Another City- Another Effort

We had reported a similar story of successful Marshland Conservation by community volunteers in Chennai. You may click the link below to browse the picture story.

Marshland Conservation by the Residents

Yapral Lake

Yapral lake, primarily an irrigation bund of yesteryears has been badly encroached on all sides. Once a haven for birds both resident (like Common Coots, Spot-billed ducks, Lesser whistling Teals, Little Grebes, Pond Herons, Purple herons, Baya Weavers, Black winged Stilts, Grey Francolins, Greater coucal, Hawk Cuckoo, Glossy ibis and so on) as well as migratory (Northern Shovelers, Warblers etc), it is not a cesspool of sewage. People also throw rubbish in to the lake unmindful of the harm that it does to the water body and associated ecosystem. We had highlighted these issues in many of our earlier posts. Sharing some of the picture stories below:

Dying Trees Shrinking Lakes Sounding a Death knell

Shrinking Urban Lakes - Impending Disaster Another picture story dated Jan-2020. Will the birds survive when their habitat is lost?

In the light of constant destruction of the lake and its habitat over last 20 years, the above effort by the women to restore the promenade and cleaning of the trash around the walkway is truly commendable. We congratulate Mrs Gupta, Mrs Gossain and their team of volunteers from Prakruthik Vihar in Yapral for their dedication and selfless service. May their tribe prosper.

Talking about women, we are reminded of William R Wallace's famous quote, 'The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world". Women in the above story have proved it so!

Hope you liked the story. If you are aware of a similar volunteering effort to save the environment, please share with us on email hbindia@gmail.com . We would be happy to append it.

Thanks for browsing. We end with a PQ picturesque quote from our archives which says, "Time spent among trees is never time wasted". The picture below show the same promenade around Yapral lake five years ago!

Stay connected and do leave a comment. Few words will suffice to encourage us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 14th Oct 2026

#volunteering #environment #sustainability #pollution #yaprallake #waterbody #birds #birding #Communityservice #womentakethelead #restoration #preservation #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb