SAVE MUSI: Tales of a dying river

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.

Turns dump yard for construction debris; netas nonchalant, officials apathetic

Malakpet : The Musi river has turned into a construction waste dump yard. Tonnes and tonnes of debris is being discarded on its banks. The pathetic practice goes unchecked as officials and netas have turned blind to the criminal act. The depth of riverbed has shrunk in half from original 30-40 feet.

Old timers recall that the river which was once known for pristine waterflow and added to the magnificence of the City of Pearls is in dire straits. Particularly, along the stretch between Moosarambagh and Chaderghat, there is not only increase in pollutants, but also the section seems most choked, because of regular dumping of construction debris.

"Encroachments taking place in these areas are not by any major private companies but by the government itself in the name of development of Musi. Apart from huge pile-up of debris, one can observe garbage being dumped with impunity. Earlier, the depth of the Musi is huge 30-40 feet and now it is not even half of it. During recent rains it may not have flooded in the areas like Chaderghat, Nagole, Moosarambagh areas, if the depth of the river was close to the original," said Syed Bilal, the vice-president of Human Rights Forum (HRF).

Countering the popular belief that encroachments by slum-dwellers have contributed to the reduced width of river, Bilal said that government should first focus on restoring the original depths of the riverbed, by taking up desilting and clearing of construction waste. "The Musi river has become major spot for dumping waste, which has eaten up the space for free flow of water," he noted.

Apart from debris and garbage, effluents from the factories located at Balapur, Kateden, Bandlaguda areas are contributing to the increased levels of pollution. Earlier there were more than 300 major nalas (storm water drains) which were connected to the Musi. Now, hardly there are 150 which are also mostly encroached and the size of nala itself is also reduced. This is the major reason for flooding of localities during every rainfall.

Residents argue that the area which is close to Musi river is not encroached and that most of their dwellings are legal. "The nearby area of Musi is Kachkari land which was gifted by a Nawab to the Kachkari (for farming) and after a few decades these Kachkaris stopped farming on the banks of Musi, with the river slowly getting polluted. Later they sold their land and slums were created," explained Mohammed Sarwar, a resident of Wahed Nagar.

TIME TO RALLY FOR MUSI

Apart from huge pile-up of debris, one can observe garbage being dumped with impunity. Earlier, the depth of the Musi is huge 30-40 feet and now it is not even half of it. Effluents from factories are compounding its misery. Residents on riverbanks deny encroachments, say their dwellings are legal

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

To save the Musi and retaining its past glory, the government should desilt the river and clear it all the accumulated debris as well as garbage. It also should come up with a fencing and construct retaining walls along the entire river stretch.

To stop the pollution of the river, the government must stop discharge of effluents from factories into the water body. Work on treatment plants taken up in 2006 by Water Board must be completed. By spending crores of rupees, it established several plants in Musi.

Along this stretch there are 4 plants, which should be restored for improving the water quality, says Syed Bilal, a social activist and vice-president of Human Rights Forum