Osman Sagar

Osman Sagar is a reservoir in the Indian city of Hyderabad. The lake is around 46 km², and the reservoir is around 29 km², with total level of 1,790 feet and a capacity of 3.9 tmc ft.[1]

Osman Sagar
View of Osman Sagar
Osman Sagar is located in Telangana
Osman Sagar
Osman Sagar at Gandipet
Osman Sagar is located in India
Osman Sagar
Osman Sagar (India)
Official nameOsman Sagar
CountryIndia
LocationGandipet, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana, India
Coordinates17°23′N 78°18′E
PurposeMulti-purpose
StatusOperational
Construction beganJuly 15, 1912
Opening dateMay 8, 1921 (May 8, 1921)
Construction cost₹ 60 Lakh (As on November 11, 1915)
Owner(s)Government of Telangana
Operator(s)Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board
Dam and spillways
Type of damBarrage
ImpoundsMusi
Height35.9664 meters
Height (foundation)535.5336 meters
Length1.92 kilometers
Elevation at crest545.592 meters
Spillways15 Gates
Spillway capacity1,05,000 cusecs
Reservoir
CreatesOsman Sagar
Total capacity3.90 TMC (Reduced capacity due to silt accumulation); 5.541 TMC (During 1920)
Catchment area738.147 Sq. Km
Surface area24.786 Sq. Km

History

Osman Sagar was created by damming the Musi River in 1920, to provide an additional source of drinking water for Hyderabad and to protect the city after the Great Musi Flood of 1908. It was constructed during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad State, Osman Ali Khan, hence the name.

A princely guest house called Sagar Mahal, overlooking the lake and now a heritage building, was built as a summer resort of the last Nizam. Its location on the banks of the lake offers wonderful views. Telangana Tourism Department operates a resort in the building. The breeze of the lake is very pleasant and has been popular with the locals since the Nizam's time. When Nizam consulted Sri Sir M.Visheswaraya regarding the twin problems of heavy floods in monsoon and acute shortage of water during summer, the latter designed a plan for construction of dam which needs high engineering skills in those days. This simple yet elegant solution solved both the problems for Hyderabad.

Tourist spot

It is a popular tourist destination, especially in monsoon season when the reservoir is full. Its parks, resorts, and amusement park are a major attraction. This lake had served drinking water to Hyderabad city but, due to increase in population, is not sufficient to meet the city's water supply demand.[2]

Himayat Ali Mirza, great-grandson of Nizam VII has recently joined the “save Osmansagar and Himayatsagar” campaign for saving the twin reservoirs and has also urged the of Telangana CM to scrap the orders of GO 111.[3][4][5]

Himayat said that now that the government had withdrawn the GO 111, the floods might affect various parts of the city. Scrapping of GO 111 has led to increasing the construction and concretisation activities near the lakes, ultimately resulting in consequent flooding.[6][7]

Water levels

In June 2012, the water level at Osman Sagar was 1769.8 feet. On 1 October 2012, the level was 1771.8 feet, an increase of a mere 2 feet.

Similarly, in nearby Himayat Sagar, the water level in June 2012 was 1743.3 feet and on 1 October 2012, it was 1,747.4 feet, an increase of about 4 feet. In October 2011, the water levels at Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were 1781.9 feet and 1755.9 feet, respectively.

Images of the lake

References
  1. "Hyderabadis can bid goodbye to water woes". The Hindu. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  2. sharma, amit (5 October 2018). "Gandipet lake timings, gandipet park, osman sagar, gandipet cheruvu". meramaal.com.
  3. Syed Akbar (28 March 2022). "nizam: Nizam's Kin Joinsfight To Save Lakes | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. "nizam: Nizam's Kin Joinsfight To Save Lakes | Hyderabad Information". The Times of Truth. 28 March 2000.
  5. "Nizam's relatives have joined the struggle to save Hyderabad's lakes". thetimesbureau.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  6. Syed Akbar (9 May 2022). "old city: 'repeal Of Go 111 To Spell Old City's Flood Threat' | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. "Explained: What is GO 111, the order to protect Hyderabad's Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar, that has now been lifted". The Indian Express. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
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