The gates of Osman Sagar open after 10 years

The rains in Hyderabad have been the real deal this year and just one month into the Monsoon season, and the city has 70% excess rain. As a result, the water bodies and reservoirs have approached total capacity, and lower city areas are already started to get flooded, and problems are increasing. 

The heavy rains have pushed the HMWS&SB to open the gates of the great Osman Sagar after a long gap of 10 years.

The water board lifted 2 out of the 17 gates of Osman Sagar, and a total of 5 out of 17 gates have been lifted in the Himayatsagar. Both these reservoirs are just a few feet away from reaching their Full Tank Limit (FTL), and the opening of floodgates might prevent unforeseen issues in the city’s low-lying areas. 

The FTL of Osman Sagar stands at 1,790 ft, and the reservoir is filled with 1,784 leaving a tiny 6ft gap for the reservoir. HMWS&SB’s decision to open the flood gates of the above places has come after the Indian Meteorological Department predicted heavy rain in the next two days.

Therefore, the GHMC and district collectorates close to the Himayatsagar and OsmanSagar areas are instructed to follow specific SOP’s to ensure minimum property loss and lift during the possible flood situation if rains do not reduce. Also, the water board is focusing on the low-lying areas in and around the Musi river.