Musi River (India)

Musi river scene in 1895

See Musi River (Indonesia) for the other river with the same name in Indonesia

The Musi River (Telugu: మూసి నది) (Urdu: موسى ندى) is a tributary of Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau region of Andhra Pradesh state in India. It flows through a major portion of Hyderabad, India and divides the historic old city with the new city. Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar is known as gandipet are the two dams built on it which act as source of water for Hyderabad. Musi River is known as Muchukunda river in olden days^[1]. Hussain Sagar lake was built on a tributary of the River Musi. It was a lake of 24 kilometres built to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city.

Course

The river originates in Anantagiri Hills near Vikarabad, Ranga Reddy district, 90 kilometers to the west of Hyderabad and flows due east for almost all of its course, then southernly through Markapur, Darsi, the northern border of Podili, Kondepi, Koru Uppalapadu, and Tangutur, where Kothapatnam Mandals falls into the Bay of Bengal near Madanur off Kothapatnam Mandal. It receives the Gajjaleru, Dondaleru, and Atleru (Aler) river near Chittur. It joins the Krishna River near Wazirabad in Nalgonda district after covering a total distance of about 240 km. The river feeds the reservoirs of Podili and Konakanamitla Mandals].

Bridges and Roads

There are many bridges across the river in Hyderabad city. The oldest bridge is called "Purana Pul"(literally meaning 'old bridge'). It was built during the 16th century by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda. Naya Pul (meaning 'new bridge') is located near High court. The other bridges are located in Dabirpura, Chaderghat, Amberpet and Uppal Kalan. The National Highway 9 to Vijayawada and National Highway 202 to Warangal are along the Southern and Northern shores of this river.

Another bridge, near Chillapalli village, Nereducharla mandal of Nalgonda district, was constructed by the Nizam of Hyderabad and this bridge served as a passage for hundreds of vehicles till early 2009. Due to increased traffic, diminished flood withstanding capacity, a new two lane bridge replaced the Nizam's legacy bridge and being operated on toll charges to recover the cost.

History of Hyderabad

This river's claim to fame is its significance in the birth of the city of Hyderabad. According to an uncorroborated legend the fourth ruler of Golconda, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, fell in love with a local dancer named Bhagmati. She lived in a cottage in the village of Chichlam, situated on the southern bank of Musi. It is said that once the young prince rode out from the Golconda Fort to meet his beloved, braving the flood waters of the River Musi. Later, the prince married the girl and ascended the throne following his father's death. When the fort of Golconda became insufficient and there was shortage of water and other resources, the emperor decided to shift his capital to secundrabad

Places of Interest on the river banks

• Andhra Pradesh High Court.
• Salar Jung Museum
• State Central Library
• Osmania General Hospital
• Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (Imlibun)
• Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical Diseases.

Floods

Musi river was the cause of frequent flood devastation of Hyderabad city till the early decades of 20th Century. On Tuesday 28 September 1908 Hyderabad witnessed disastrous floods of the River Musi, flowing through the city. In one day, 17 inches of rainfall was recorded and the water level at Afzalgunj was about 11 feet (3.4 m) high and in some other places it was even higher. These floods shattered the life of the people living in Hyderabad. The modern era of the development of the twin cities began soon after these floods in AD 1908. This necessitated planned development of the city in a phased manner.

SYED AZAM HUSSAINI submitted his report on October 1, 1909, with recommendations on preventing a recurrence of floods and also improving civic amenities. Nizam VII constituted a City Improve Trust in 1912. He built a flood control system on the river to prevent the flooding. A dam was built in 1920 across the river, ten miles (16 km) upstream from the city called Osman Sagar. In 1927 another reservoir was built on Esi (tributary of Musi) and named Himayat Sagar. These lakes prevented the flooding of the River Musi and are major drinking water sources for Hyderabad city.

Present Status of Musi River in Hyderabad

Due to indiscriminate urbanisation and lack of planning, the river has become a receptacle of untreated domestic and industrial waste dumping out of Hyderabad. It is estimated that nearly 350 MLD (Million Litres a Day) of polluted water and sewage originating from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad flow into the river. Numerous efforts to clean it have failed. The river water downstream of city remains highly polluted, considered a major disaster in Hyderabad.

References and notes

1. ^ Kashiyatra charitra - Enugula Viraswamayya (Telugu)

External links

• Making a Living Along the Musi River,India
• Livelihoods and Wastewater Irrigated Agriculture along the Musi River in Hyderabad City
• Prabhakar, C. Paul (August 2007). "Ground Water Information" (in English) (PDF). Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh, Southern Region. Hyderabad: Ministry of Water Resources. http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/AP/Prakasam.pdf. Retrieved 04 March 2011. 
• Mandal (2009). "Salient Features of the Prakasam District" (in English) (PDF). Ongole (Prakasam). http://prakasamdtgeoportal.com/prakasam_district.pdf. Retrieved 04 March 2011. 

Coordinates: 17°22′N 78°28′E / 17.367°N 78.467°E / 17.367; 78.467