Imagine the dried-up river bed of the Musi coming alive as a riverfront complete with a recreational and socio-cultural centre, lush green spaces, promenades, thus becoming a major tourist attraction.
That is what the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has proposed for the river that flows through the city for a length of 59 km and has now almost choked up to become a major source of pollution thanks to degraded water. Unplanned and haphazard development in its catchment areas has also spelt doom for the Musi.
The HMDA has now asked its consultants to carry out feasibility studies for the proposed conservation and riverfront development of the Musi from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar to Bapughat project.
Earlier, the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) for the conservation and restoration of the river had undertaken construction of sewerage treatment plants, and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had prepared a project report for riverfront development in its jurisdiction from Bapughat to Inner Ring Road at Nagole.
Now, the HMDA has decided to integrate the proposals of the HMWSSB and the GHMC and take up conservation and riverfront development along 19 km from surplus weir of Osmansagar and Himayathsagar to Bapughat that comes under its jurisdiction.
The aim of the initiative is to rejuvenate the Musi through strategic and selective interventions, develop the riverfront as a vibrant recreational and socio-cultural centre and also a tourist destination. It will also culminate in creating new city-level green spaces along the river to enhance the riverfront and act as the green lungs of the city while maintaining optimum year-round water sheets at strategic locations.
The HMDA wants the consultant to be selected to prepare the feasibility report and conceptual designs and plans in accordance with the latest guidelines of the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
