Hyderabad's twin sagars left to dry and disappear
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HYDERABAD: Legend has it that when the construction of the Hussainsagar was completed in the middle of the 17th century the lake had only little water. The reigning sultan Ibrahim Qutub Shah
1550 - 1580
Fourth ruler of Qutb Shahi Dynasty
was furious and said come-what-may he would like to see an overflowing lake. Aides got on to the job and with the help of engineers identified the area around Gandipet, a village about 20 km from Hyderabad, from where water could be tapped and drawn to the Hussainsagar through a stream. The Gandipet lake was dug but somehow never put to use. The Hussainsagar water shortage was met by other easier means but the disused stream was visible in 1913 survey maps of Hyderabad.
In 1908, on accepting an assignment to find a lasting solution to Hyderabad's drinking water problem (following the devastating floods of the Musa Nadi), Sir Mokshagundam Vishveshwaraiah, the diwan of Mysore, zeroed in on the same area that had been identified by Ibrahim Qutub Shah's engineers.
View of Musi River
Vishveshwaraiah said that two dams-Osmansagar and Himayatsagar-should be built on the Musa Nadi and its tributary Isa Nadi to tackle the twin problem of flooding and providing drinking water to the city. The dams became operational in the 1920s. A 14 km conduit was constructed between the Osmansagar and the Asifnagar filter bed in the city to transport water through gravitational force. Hyderabad then had five lakh denizens.
The city has grown since and its population now tops 80 lakhs. Not surprisingly the two beautiful water bodies have ceased to be the only source of drinking water to Hyderabad. Today they are on the verge of extinction. But the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar are more than just drinking water supplying sources. They are the pillars on which the eco-balance of the area rests. Therefore, concerned citizens woke up to the danger long time ago and launched efforts to protect the dams. But their attempts have been stonewalled.
For Narasimha Reddy of Joint Action for Water, the future of the two dams is dark. He says that the construction of the Outer Ring Road has caused the biggest damage to the supply of water to the dams. "The ORR has cut through the veins that connect to the hearts of the two water bodies. Numerous streams and nalas that supplied water to the reservoirs have been de-linked. Now either their water has been diverted in some other direction or allowed to make small ponds of their own."
The other problems that plague the area are illegal encroachments, stone quarrying establishments, oil units, etc. Besides, the GO 111 of 1996 did not foresee the construction boom that would be taking place in the area. It merely banned industrial units in 10 square km area and allowed construction of the residential units. The construction of an international airport in Shamshabad has dealt another severe blow to the existence of dams.
Jeevanand Reddy, a scientist activist, points out that it is not just private players who violated rules and constructed commercial complexes, recreational facilities and resorts within the 10 sq km area. The government too constructed cluster of houses in Chilkur located just behind the Osmansagar.
The springs in Anantgiri Hills from where Musa Nadi begins its journey and its route up to the Osmansagar have been disturbed. Apart from growth of villages and towns, agriculture and horticulture activity on the route have witnessed tremendous increase. This has led to marked decline in inflows in the reservoirs.
Every passing year throws up more dried up land and boulders dotting the two lakes during summers. During monsoon and winter seasons there is some relief to the eyes, but not enough.
Bad planning and management have put the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar that form the collective natural heritage of Hyderabad on the road to extinction. Will the government wake up to this reality?
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