Hyderabad: Officials issued a flood warning after eight gates of Himayat Sagar reservoir were opened on Thursday morning, August 14, discharging 10,000 cusecs of water into Musi River.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) stated that the decision was taken as heavy inflows due to incessant rain have brought the reservoir to a near-full tank level of 1,763.50 feet.
As of 9:00 am, the water level of Himayat Sagar was at 1,762.40 feet (2.678 TMC) with inflows of 17,500 cusecs. The outflow, previously 7,926 cusecs, was raised to 10,000 cusecs between 11:00 am to control rising levels.
Osman Sagar, the other major reservoir, saw a level of 1,785.30 feet (2.885 TMC) against its full tank level of 1,790 feet with inflows of 3,000 cusecs.
Musi River to swell
The Himayat Sagar discharge is likely to swell the Musi River, threatening some low-lying localities with flooding. Low-lying areas of Chaderghat, Moosarambagh, Attapur, Jiyaguda, Bahadurpura, Rajendranagar, Bandlaguda Jagir, Narsingi, Phoolbagh, and Nagole have been put on alert.
The recent releases have already resulted in flooding along Exit 17 of Outer Ring Road (ORR).
HMWSSB and GHMC have appealed to people in vulnerable areas to be careful, avoid going near riverbanks, and be guided by official releases. Emergency response teams are deployed and traffic diversion might be done in flood-prone sections.
Himayat, Osman Sagar built post 1908 floods
Built following the crippling 1908 Musi floods, Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar still serve an important function in Hyderabad’s flood control, albeit experts caution that urbanisation, encroachment, and siltation have diminished their storage potential, compelling earlier and larger discharges during floods.
