Remembering 1908’s great Musi Flood on its 111th anniversary

On Friday, Hyderabadis, both young and old, participated in a march held in memory of the thousands of lives that were lost during the Musi Flood of 1908. Titled ‘Musi River Front Walk’, the heritage walk began from City College at Puranapul to the

Musi river

bank opposite the High Court and saw the participation from over 150 people, that included members of several civil bodies, students and aam janata.

“We organised this walk to commemorate the

111th anniversary

of the Great Musi Flood of 1908. It was a catastrophe that changed the face of Hyderabad. During that time Musi was a mighty river and provided drinking water for Hyderabadis, but today it is a polluted puddle. We should join our voices and do our bit to revive this historic river,” said Veda Kumar, president of Forum for Better Hyderabad, while addressing the gathering.

Recapping how the once mighty Musi flooded the city on the night of September 28 in 1908, leaving over 15,000 dead and close to 80,000 homeless, Yadagiri, a 75-year-old resident of Vidya Nagar, said, “I have been witnessing Musi’s deterioration for many years now. I feel sad how the once fresh water river today has become a sewer. In the 1960s, I used to bunk school and come to the river with my friends for a jolly swim in the heat. But now, one can’t even think doing such a thing.”

The tales of the river’s celebrated past fascinated the youngsters who threw a volley of questions at the elders about the river and what needs to be done to help Musi return to its past glory. Answering one of them, Vijaya Malathi, a school teacher, said, “The reason for Musi’s sorry state is pollution. We, the denizens of Hyderabad, have been mindlessly dumping waste in the river. We need to be more responsible about our actions. In fact, not just Musi, we need to have a similar attitude towards all our rivers.”

— Sravan.Vanaparthy@timesgroup.com