Musi river floods Hyderabad, thousands evacuated; political row erupts

Heavy and continuous rains in the upper catchment area of the Musi River caused it to swell and flood several parts of Hyderabad, particularly Chaderghat, where water entered homes in low-lying areas and even the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) at midnight, stranding passengers.

Authorities had opened the gates of the twin reservoirs — Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar — leading to the flooding of the Musi, which otherwise resembles a nullah during the dry season. Last night, however, the river was in full spate, overflowing bridges and roads.

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Around 1,000 people were evacuated, bus passengers were rescued, and officials used drones to provide food to residents marooned by the floodwaters.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Revanth Reddy-led government of deliberately opening all the gates of the twin reservoirs at once, allegedly to push through the Chief Minister’s pet project of Musi Rejuvenation.

Nearly 27,000 cusecs of water were released downstream from Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar, flooding Chaderghat and nearby areas. The inflows submerged the Chaderghat bridge and inundated MGBS.

Rescue teams evacuated stranded passengers while state-run buses were diverted via Jubilee Bus Station, Uppal, Hayathnagar, and Aramghar. Public movement on the Chaderghat bridge was restricted, while roads and bridges at Kulsumpura, Puranapul, Chaderghat, and Moosarambagh were closed and traffic diverted.

At Moosarambagh, an under-construction bridge suffered damage as floodwaters washed away centering material between two pillars, though authorities declared the piers safe.

HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath inspected several flood-hit areas along the Musi and reviewed relief operations. He urged residents to move from inundated zones to safer locations, adding that the situation was likely to improve by evening. “Currently, the water level in the Musi is receding. Rainfall in the upper catchment has also decreased,” he said.

However, KT Rama Rao reiterated his charge: “Despite cloudburst warnings, all 15 gates were opened at once, flooding thousands. Even the Imliban (MGBS) Bus Stand was submerged for the first time.”

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, meanwhile, maintained that the flooding was caused by unexpected, heavy rains. “Because of heavy rainfall, Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar overflowed, submerging all the bridges and roads over the Musi. This is a dangerous situation, and therefore we relocated people,” he said.