Why activists are crying foul over proposal to 'flush' River Musi clean

Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister KT Ramarao (KTR) has sparked a controversy by stating that the toxic water of Musi river, traversing through Hyderabad, will be cleaned with fresh waters from the Godavari.The state government is taking up the Musi Cleaning project at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore. The project comprises the building of sewerage treatment plants (STPs), the construction of bridges and check dams on the river, and bringing in Godavar water, from Kondapochamma reservoir, which is located 85 km from the city.

CPCB dubs it ‘dead river’

Musi, an intra-state river, is a tributary of the Krishna. It originates in the Anantagiri hills in Telangana's Vikarabad district and joins the Krishna in Nalgonda district. Over the past 30 years, the river has borne the brunt of the uncontrolled urbanisation and industrialisation of Hyderabad. The free flow of sewerage from Hyderabad and untreated effluents from industries around the city made Musi, once known as Thames of Telangana, the most polluted river in India.

Like the perennial flow of toxic waste, crores of rupees have gone down the drain in the name of cleaning the Musi. However, not a drop of sewer has been cleaned. Instead, the river suffered assaults from all sides – politicians, realtors, authorities, and industries. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) declared the Musi a dead river.

Now, KTR wants to make its water potable. He dusted off a two-year-old proposal and announced that Musi’s sewer would be flushed out with fresh waters from the Godavari.

But environmentalists and activists are crying foul, saying the addition of Godavari water to Musi is fraught with dangerous consequences and aggravates the risk of floods in the city.

Activists warn against move

The statement of KTR on the face of it looks eminently laudable. Thinking of potable water in a stinking river is a refreshing idea. However, river water expert Prof BV Subbarao says the project is technically, environmentally, and hydrologically not feasible. He urges the government to make public the supporting documents for a debate in the public domain.

Stating that Musi has become a perennial river with sewerage and industrial effluents, Prof Subbarao warns that any addition of water would aggravate the flood risk in Hyderabad.

“First there is no freeboard in the river. Building check dams in the Musi river to store fresh water is totally a wrong concept. The check dams soon turn into cesspools deteriorating the quality of impounded water,” he said.

Alleging that the government is trying to brainwash the people with the idea that Godavari is a cure for all ills of Telangana, he said the campaign was wrong. He said the project has serious problems at both ends (Godavari and Musi).

No freeboard in Musi

“The water-drawing time in Godavari is a highly turbulent period. The plan is to draw Godavari flood water from a turbulent point below the confluence of its tributary Pranahita. One should not forget that the flood period is too short a time to draw water from Godavari and it is also a flooding time for Musi. How would you add Godavari flood water when there is no freeboard in Musi because of perennial sewerage flow,” Prof Subbarao asked. He said the entire proposal was full of flaws and premised on wrong notions.

“On one hand you say you are building sewerage treatment plants (STPs) to treat the pollutants spending Rs 4,000 crore and on the other, you talk about cleaning Musi. It means either you have no confidence in the STPs or there must be an ulterior motive behind the expensive project. These STPs need to be periodically upgraded with huge cost with the increase of load. STPs function only under specific hydraulic loads. As the population grows the load on STPs also increases warranting the upgradation,” he said.

According to Prof Subbarao, who worked as a consultant for UN bodies, the government is forgetting the importance of source water hygiene development. “Hyderabad doesn’t have dedicated sewerage and rainwater canals. They both flow in the same canal. Consequently, the natural cleaning of the river with rainwater is not happening in Musi. You are pushing the real issues under the carpet and fancifully promising to make Musi river an extension of Godavari,” he said.

Idea may spark tension

Prof Subbarao did not rule out social tension in the future. “How much fresh water is required to flush out the toxicity of the Musi? Is it wise to divert precious fresh water to clean Musi when thousands of villages are crying for drinking water in Telangana?” he asked urging the judiciary to take up the matter suo motto before the public money is squandered on the project.

Environmental expert Prof K Purushottam Reddy said Musi was the victim of collusion and apathy. “You were silent when lakes around Hyderabad city were occupied, when the river bed was encroached and when industries released toxic waste into Musi. Now you want to clean the river by bringing pristine water from Godavari. There appears to be a questionable intent behind the project,” he said.

Activist Dr Tangella Sivaprasada Reddy said there is no need to get Godavari waters when the water is available in the Krishna river. “If the objective is to clean Musi with fresh water, the best offtake point is the Jurala project built on Krishna in Mahabubnagar district rather than the Kaleswaram lift on Godavari. Bringing water from Jurala to Musi through gravity makes it a cost-effective project. Godavari-Musi linking will be more beneficial to contractors than the people,” he said.

Pittala Srisailam, a Musi river protection activist, wondered how the government wants to clean Musi with fresh water when the villages around Hyderabad are crying for drinking water. It is bound to face resistance from the public, he added. Social activist Dr Lubna Sarwat felt that the proposal to lift Godavari waters to clean the Musi river was not only arbitrary but also an outright abuse of power. “The project is devoid of any scientific study. It is being formulated without any participatory consultations with the communities,” she told The Federal.