After Nizam, successive Congress govts ensured drinking water supply for Hyderabad, says CM Revanth Reddy

It was the foresight of the Nizam that led to the construction of Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar dams by 1920, following the catastrophic Musi flood of 1908, which claimed thousands of lives and washed away large parts of Hyderabad. More than a century later, these 115-year-old reservoirs continue to provide drinking water and save lives.

Later, successive Congress governments expanded the city’s water supply to meet the growing demand, channeling waters from the Manjeera river in the 1960s, and undertaking Krishna phases II and III, followed by Godavari Phase I after the 2000s, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said. The Krishna Phase I, during 2002-04, grounded by the Telugu Desam Party-led government is an exception, he noted.

Mr.Reddy, along with Ministers D. Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar and senior leaders, joined by officials of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), laid the foundation for Godavari Phase II and III projects at Gandipet on Monday.

With an outlay of ₹7,360 crore and a completion deadline of 2027, the project will bring 20 tmc ft of Godavari water to Hyderabad — 17.5 tmc exclusively for drinking, and 2.5 tmc to rejuvenate the twin reservoirs, cleanse the Musi river and fill intermediate tanks along the route.

The city’s current drinking water needs, according to HMWS&SB, is about 600 million gallons per day (mgd). It is estimated that this need would rise to 835 mgd by 2027 and 1,114 mgd by 2047.

“It was the Congress that brought Godavari waters, but some leaders, by sprinkling water over their heads, pretended otherwise,” Mr. Reddy said, taking a subtle dig at the previous BRS government. He added that the project will also help cleanse the Musi and provide relief to the people of Nalgonda. The Godavari waters will be brought through the Sripada Yellampally project, he noted.

Mr. Reddy also said he would consult and negotiate with the Maharashtra government on revising the full reservoir level of Thummidihatti Barrage, a component of the Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation project — now renamed Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Scheme — for the benefit of Telangana farmers.

On the Musi’s riverfront development, the CM said it was important for the people of Nalgonda and to make Hyderabad a world-class city. “[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi cleaned Sabarmati for Gujarat, Yogi Adityanath did it for Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and Rekha Gupta is cleansing Yamuna for Delhi. Why shouldn’t we develop Musi for Hyderabad,” he asked, and added that water denotes civilisations, development and make cities great.

He said the Telangana Rising 2047 vision document, set to be unveiled on December 9, will also focus on positioning Hyderabad as a globally influential urban centre. He appealed to leaders across the political spectrum, including the Opposition, to cooperate in implementing major projects for the city such as the Musi river rejuvenation, Regional Ring Road, Fourth City development and Metro expansion.