KTR holds previous Congress, TDP governments responsible for Musi River's pollution

HYDERABAD: BRS Working President K Taraka Rama Rao blamed previous Congress and TDP governments for turning the Musi River into a polluted waterbody.

Speaking at a PowerPoint presentation held at Telangana Bhavan, KTR said that while he agreed with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent comments about the Musi becoming a "sewage canal," he firmly stated that the past governments were responsible for this deterioration.

KTR provided a detailed overview of the river’s history. The Musi River, a tributary of the Krishna River, originates in the Ananthagiri Hills near Muchkunda. It flows for 267 kilometers and passes through Hyderabad before merging with the Krishna River at Wadapally. In 1591, Quli Qutb Shah founded Hyderabad on the river’s banks. Historically, the river was also called Muchkunda. A major flood occurred in 1908 due to torrential rains, which caused significant devastation and led to the deaths of 15,000 people. The then Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, enlisted the expertise of engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya to design a flood control plan, resulting in the construction of Osman Sagar (Gandipet) in 1920 and Himayat Sagar in 1927. These reservoirs were designed not only to prevent floods but also to provide clean drinking water to Hyderabad.

KTR noted that after the construction of these reservoirs, no government took significant steps to maintain or improve the condition of the Musi River for nearly 95 years. He pointed out that the river, which naturally flows from west to east, now carries significant amounts of sewage and wastewater due to urban growth and lack of infrastructure. The river collects water from 54 main drains, many of which discharge untreated sewage from areas such as Nacharam, Jeedimetla, Balanagar, and Mallapur.

Commenting on the remarks made by CM Revanth Reddy, KTR acknowledged that the Musi had indeed become a polluted drain. However, he attributed the blame to previous administrations. Citing a 2015 report by the Central Pollution Control Board, KTR explained that the report named Musi as one of the most polluted rivers in India, and this was before BRS came to power. "We took office in 2014, but by 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board had already declared the Musi as highly polluted. We didn’t cause this within a year. The river’s condition worsened under Congress and TDP governments," KTR said, adding that these parties "turned the Musi into a sewer." The report also highlighted alarming levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the river, indicating severe pollution.

KTR further criticised past leaders, noting that no government before the BRS took any concrete action to clean or restore the Musi. "From the time of the 1908 floods until K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) became Chief Minister, no government initiated serious efforts to improve the situation," KTR said. After KCR took office, the state government commissioned a new study on Musi’s condition. The study revealed dangerous levels of pollution, both in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), confirming the river's critical condition.

KTR clarified that under previous BRS regime under KCR’s leadership, steps had been taken to address the river’s issues. While KCR initially handled municipal affairs, KTR took over those responsibilities after 2016. "We began a detailed study of the river’s pollution and devised plans for its rejuvenation and beautification," he said. He reiterated that the BRS government, under KCR's guidance, is committed to the restoration of Musi, but the river’s current state is the result of historical neglect by previous administrations.