After the decision made by Telangana government for withdrawing an over 25-year-old government order protecting the historic Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs in Hyderabad, the environmentalists and activists are criticizing the decision.
Context
After the decision made by Telangana government for withdrawing an over 25-year-old government order protecting the historic Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs in Hyderabad, the environmentalists and activists are criticizing the decision.
What is ‘Government Order (GO) 111’?
- On March 8, 1996, the government of erstwhile (undivided) Andhra Pradesh had issued ‘Government Order (GO) 111’.
- The order prohibited development or construction works in the catchment area of the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar lakes up to a radius of 10 km.
- The GO prohibited the setting up of industries, residential colonies, hotels, etc. which cause pollution.
- The total catchment area covers around 1.30 lakh acres, spread over 84 villages.
- The aim of the restrictions was to protect the catchment area, and to keep the reservoirs pollution-free.
- The lakes had been supplying water to Hyderabad for nearly 70 years, and were the main source of drinking water for the city at the time.
About the Reservoirs
- The reservoirs were created by building dams on the Musi (also known as Moosa or Muchkunda) river, a major tributary of the Krishna, to protect Hyderabad from floods.
- The proposal to build the dams came after a major flood during the reign of the sixth nizam Mahbub Ali Khan (1869-1911) in 1908, in which more than 15,000 people were killed.
- The lakes came into being during the reign of the last nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1911-48).
- Osman Sagar was completed in 1921, and Himayat Sagar in 1927.
- The nizam’s guesthouse at Osman Sagar is now a heritage building.
