Efforts to be made to recycle Musi river in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Officials have planned to pump life into the grey water of Musi river in a project ‘Musi Riverfront Development Project’. The river will have 24-hour flowing water for a stretch of 37 km, as per the plan.

Thirty-two sewerage treatment plants will be installed along the Musi to recycle its polluted water generated by the city before it is let into the river, DC reports. Each stretch connecting the Musi from Osmansagar to Bapughat, Himayatsagar to Bapughat, Mehdi Colony, Golnaka, Nagole to Outer Ring Road, totalling 50 km, will have eight feet of water when the project is complete.

The plan also includes 72 check dams with automatic flip gates so the water can be stored and released when required. A four-lane, 64-metre- wide rowing course of 2.4 km is planned on the Musi. Former MLA Prem Singh Rathod said that the Musi is highly polluted as per a report of Central Pollution Control Board.

“The dry weather flow is entirely contributed by sewage from domestic, hospital, and industrial units, and storm water run-off from 31 nullahs entering the river, and continuous encroachments,” he said.

“With no regulatory measures in place and no sewerage system in the villages adjoining the river from Nagole to Gowrelli, domestic waste water and sewage find their way in through the nullahs. Its present status is of an urban drainage-cum-sewerage system which puts off residents, tourists and investors,” he said.

In an absence of natural flows, dry weather flow is stagnant with large scale hydro-flora growth in the rivers, Mr Rathod added. Hence, to combat these appropriate conservation measures are the urgent need of the hour, he added. The government has drafted the Musi Riverfront Development Project estimated to cost Rs 1,279 crore.

Unlike the previous efforts of recycling of the river, this project is planned along 37 km of the river. Earlier the plans were made for the portions of it which are located in the core Hyderabad.