River Musi: Hyderabad’s lifeline with a historic past

The Musi River, also called Moosa or Musinuru, flows through Telangana and joins the Krishna River. Originating from Anantagiri Hills, it passes through Hyderabad. Along with its tributary Esa, it has played a key role in the city's flood history

Hyderabad: River Musi, also called the Moosa, Musinuru and Muchkunda, is a tributary of river Krishna flowing through Telangana.

The river originates from Anantagiri Hills near Vikarabad District and joins the river Krishna at Wadapally, in Nalgonda district. It has an aggregate length of 250 km, and its 20 km stretch is within the city.

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The Osmansagar reservoir was constructed on the Moosa to prevent floods after the 1908 deluge. The Himayatsagar reservoir was constructed on river stream Esa. The proposal to build the dams came after a major flood during the reign of the sixth Nizam, Mahbub Ali Khan (1869-1911), in 1908, in which more than 15,000 people were killed.

Very few people are aware that Esa is the tributary of the Musi River and that it originates somewhere near Pargi. The Musa River originates from Vikarabad at Ananthagiri Hills, about 90 km from Hyderabad. The Esa and Musa converge at the ‘Tipu Khan bridge sangam’.