An Ahmedabad In The Making? Hyderabad To Develop Model Riverfront Along Musi River
After numerous attempts over several decades to clean up the Musi river that straddles the tech city of Hyderabad failed, the Government of Telangana has decided to develop a model riverfront for 3 km within the capital city, reports Mint. The 57 km-long river flowing through Hyderabad today resembles a sewer more than a river.
Spearheaded by the Musi River Development Corporation (MRDC), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by the state government last year, the plan entails checking of untreated sewerage that flows in to the river, clearing the river banks up of all encroachments, and setting up of a riverfront similar to Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati riverfront for a 3 km stretch from Puranapul to Chaderghat. Work will start by the end of August this year.
A major problem for the MRDC will be rehabilitation of encroachments along the riverbed. While a drone survey has been conducted, officials feel that the toughest part of rehabilitation would be of religious structures which have sprung up in the vicinity of the river.
The riverbank will have urban forestry, cultural rejuvenation, tourism etc and we plan to start phase one (model stretch) by the end of December. Phase two will be to set up STPs, to do landscaping, build roads etc and phase three will add an year to complete the whole work.Arvind Kumar, Managing director MRDC
The Musi river’s etymology stems from two streams – Moosa and Esi – that meet at Golconda, giving rise to the Musi.
Roads will be developed on the banks of the river, along with a rubber dam, reports Deccan Chronicle. A total of 32 sewage treatment plants (STPs) will be set up to treat sewage being released into the river. Similar to the Sabarmati where Narmada water is used, water from the Godavari and Krishna will also be repurposed for the Musi.
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