Encroachments, government apathy taking toll on Musi banks

The Musi river originates in Vikarabad district in Telangana near the Ananthagiri Hills and only a 50 km stretch of the river passes through the present-day Hyderabad. The river then merges with the Krishna river in Nalgonda district.

On the southern side, Osman Sagar Dam was constructed and Husain Sagar was constructed on the northern side. Hyderabad city was nicely planned to ensure enough water supply and proper discharge of water into Husain Sagar so that the city was free from floods.

Call it apathy or greed for money or politically callous attitude, over the years, Musi river has been converted into a dump yard…Something which Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of the princely state would have never dreamt of. Successive governments came with grandiose plans which never really took off and lot of money has gone down Musi sewerage. Instead of rejuvenating Musi, the encroachment has gone up by several times. The riverbed has been levelled in several areas including the land next to Telangana High Court which speaks volumes about the functioning of the civic administration and its impact was seen when Hyderabad was lashed by heavy rains recently.

The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation authorities identified that there are nearly 6,350 encroachments around Musi. This was in 2017. The Hans India invites public participation in coming up with suggestions on how to Save Musi. Readers may share the information they have with pictures, if any, on encroachments on the Musi river on [email protected]

Nagole: Musi river, once the lifeline of Hyderabad city, is in a sad state, with increasing encroachments shrinking its bed across the city. The situation at Nagole is getting worse by the day. At least 60% of buffer zone of the river is encroached upon by private establishments, residential complexes, deplore environmental activists. Many are utilising the riverbanks for parking and other purposes.

"Encroachments have been taking place for long under the very nose of authorities, but there is no effort to check obliteration of water bodies and their banks. We still don't have any specific data on how much is encroached and the government negligence is aiding its reckless destruction. There is no official acting against it," rues Bhavesh Patel, a plywood manufacturer in Nagole.

Speaking of the Musi encroachments, Lubna Sarvath, a social activist, observes that countless encroachments have taken place on the riverbanks. "For a decade, the river has been losing its width and water flow is reduced for a number of reasons, mainly on account of encroachments. A few commercial and domestic establishments have encroached the banks and it is disappointing that Musi River Front Development Corporation (MRFDC) has failed to carry out its legitimate duty in protecting the river."

Demarcation of Musi boundary and buffer zone was to be completed in April. The survey began on March 10, 2020, and soon after Covid-19 pandemic stalled it. Later, unprecedented rains also came in the way. "Conduits cannot be placed when the place is muddy but now work is underway and we plan to complete the remining 20% survey. The next exercise is to demarcate the river boundary and buffer zone which we plan to complete in the next two months," Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, the LB Nagar MLA and Chairman of Musi River Front Development Corporation (MRFDC), had told The Hans India earlier.

On the enormity of the situation, an official of MRDC said on condition of anonymity that a survey on Musi encroachments is underway. "We are trying to pinpoint encroachments along with the identification of geometric measures of the river to get a clarity on the situation. Once we complete the survey, we shall take an immediate action against the encroachers and evict them. In Nagole, Janapriya Apartment is constructed in the buffer zone of river and action will be initiated. On the other hand, we are also working on beautification of riverbanks with walkways for denizens."

The 50-metre buffer zone is yet to be demarcated. As per a 2017 study, there were 6,400 encroachments. Now, the emphasis is on restoration of the buffer zone, and the first phase envisages removing shrubs, clearing silt and fogging. An action plan on encroachments was also planned to be taken up simultaneously. The drainage systems of several localities are deplorable. In recent months, there was rise in cases relating to 'dengue' infections especially among children. Because of the stagnant water, hyacinth and garbage dumped into the river, people in the neighbourhood of the waterbody channels are suffering due to rise in mosquito breeding.

CHIEF MINISTER'S VISION

I Wish to restore Musi River to its Past glory. Our vision is to make Musi as the pride of Hyderabad and the State. The revitalised

Musi River Corridor, with the river cleaned and restored, meaningful green lung spaces, thoughtful reinvigorating landscape designs and improved transport connectivity, will set the path for a sustainable and inclusive future