1970 Musi flood survivor warns govt over Musi riverfront plan
HYDERABAD: As the government pushes ahead with its ambitious Musi Riverfront Development project, a survivor of the 1970 Musi floods has sounded a stark alarm, focusing on engineering and flood control, not just surface-level beautification, or risk of reliving the disasters of the past.
In a public statement, Sitaram Dhulipala, a survivor of the 1970 Gowliguda floods, expressed serious concerns about the project’s initial presentation and urged the government to focus on essential infrastructure.
Talking about a recent presentation by the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL), Dhulipala said the plans were mostly about making the area look better, adding parks, and places for fun. He was worried that the plan did not clearly explain how they would build the important systems needed to stop floods and pollution.
“Hyderabad has already paid a heavy price in the past for ignoring these issues,” Dhulipala stated, addressing the Chief Minister’s Office, the MAUD department, and other civic bodies. “Even today, in many parts of the Core Urban Area, drainage overflows on roads.”
To emphasize his point, Dhulipala recounted his experience during the night of September 21-22, 1970, when the Gowliguda area suffered one of the city’s worst disasters.
“I witnessed one of the most tragic disasters in the city’s history. On that night, 57 people lost their lives and over 20,000 residents became homeless following the collapse of the internal drainage system and the breach of Afzalsagar Lake,” he recounted.
He connected that disaster to the 2020 Hyderabad floods, which again showed how weak the city’s rainwater and sewage systems are. “With climate change causing heavier rains, the situation is even more dangerous. Experts say that much of Hyderabad’s underground drainage can only handle about 20 mm of rain, which is not enough during heavy storms.”
Dhulipala noted that the MRDCL (Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited) presentation did not clearly address five critical infrastructure priorities he considers essential for a resilient riverfront. He described the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), a government initiative to strengthen stormwater drains known locally as ‘nalas’ to mitigate flooding, as Hyderabad’s key flood mitigation initiative and questioned the lack of clarity on its expansion and completion across all GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) circles. He also highlighted the dangerous interconnection of drains and sewers, which causes sewage backflow during heavy rains, and pointed out the absence of a clear plan to separate them.
Currently, 54 major nalas (large open stormwater drains) discharge untreated sewage directly into the Musi. Dhulipala called for a specific timeline to build high-capacity interceptor sewer pipelines along both riverbanks. With the city generating about 1650 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage daily, he emphasized the need to expand capacity beyond 2000 MLD and complete previously planned sewage treatment plants (STPs) to stop the flow of untreated waste.
Citing the Comprehensive Sewerage Master Plan, which calls for over 7,000 km of additional underground drainage pipelines, he lamented that the presentation focused only on surface-level development, ignoring urgent needs in underground infrastructure such as sewage pipelines.
“The Core Question is Can a river truly be rejuvenated while untreated sewage continues to flow into it and the city’s drainage infrastructure remains inadequate?” he asked pointedly.
Dhulipala urged the government to approach the Musi Riverfront Development as a comprehensive flood management and river restoration program, rather than a cosmetic urban project.
“A Lesson from History that those who experienced the 1970 Gowliguda floods and the 2020 Hyderabad floods know one undeniable truth: When floodwaters rise, beautification projects cannot save lives. Only strong drainage and sewerage infrastructure can,” he stated.
He urged the MRDCL and the government to place engineering infrastructure at the core of the project, including the expansion of the underground drainage (UGD) network, completion of SNDP works (stormwater drain improvements), construction of interceptor sewers (pipelines that divert sewage before it reaches the river), and achieving 100% sewage treatment.
“Only then can Hyderabad build a safe, resilient, and truly rejuvenated Musi River without demolishing the habitation, which is possible, and hence there is an absolute necessity to revisit the proposed plan rather than get carried away by graphics,” he concluded.
