The Wyra Lake in Khammam District, located two kilometres off the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam highway and surrounded by greenery, is breathtaking. Its water is unpolluted and potable, offering a scenic setting for water sports.
Union Tourism Minister, Renuka Chowdhary, who also represents the constituency, was the first one to spot the potential of the lake. She was also quick to evince interest in a proposal from Arjuna Awardee and seasoned sailor C.S. Pradipak to stage a regatta on the lines of the `Sail the Gulf'.
Officials from the Laser, Hobie Cat and Optimist classes visited the lake and examined the feasibility of conducting national-level competitions on its placid waters. All of them found its 18-feet depth suited to stage such events as did some rowers too.
On its shores, a two-storied restaurant with balconies was found ideal to serve as a club house, an integral part of any sailing activity.
Accommodation for organisers will be available close to the water body and for prospective participants at Khammam town, a little over 20 kms away.
As part of the Government of India's Tourism Circuit Development Scheme, Wyra falls well within the 180-km stretch between Palair and Parnasala, says the Khammam District Tourism Officer, Dipu Karthikeyan.
Plans are afoot to construct cottages to promote the place as a picnic spot initially and then develop it into a lake resort. The government is willing to back the sports event, he adds.
Closely associated with the event right from its conception is Ahmed Nadeem, Joint Collector, Khammam. Optimistic about the event, he says much needs to be done, such as making the point accessible, especially the road to the jetty.
With summer around, the water level has dropped, although a Hobie Cat championship can be conducted on four feet of water. Come the monsoon season, the wind speeds, so vital for sailing, should pick up and improve possibilities of water sports here, he says.
Pradipak, meanwhile, has planned a Hobie Cat National at Visakhapatnam in the last week of April and the first week of May and hopes another similar event will fructify at Wyra.
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