The once-thriving ecosystem and waters of Hyderabad's Musi river are now horrifyingly polluted due to inadequate attention from the state government and the immense sewage runoff from ongoing and poorly planned industrialization within the city, leaving the river in a tragic and appalling condition, and we must work towards and see its rejuvenation by demanding for action. 

A prominent river whose course stretches over our state of Telangana is the Musi river. Being a large tributary of the Krishna river, its source starts in the Ananthagiri Hills and it reaches its mouth in Nalgonda. Throughout Hyderabad’s journey to become the city it is today, many people depended on the Musi river as their main source of water and transport, making the river an accelerator of this city’s growth. However, times have changed and we now live in a globalized world. A majority of us no longer rely on the river, and the importance of it has dwindled in the eyes of the state government. What was once considered a crucial natural resource for the city is now used as a loophole by numerous industries. The river system is victim to an enormous amount of effluent and trash pollution, which are a direct consequence of human intervention. Over time, the city has become a hub for pharmaceutical companies, and while we take pride in how Hyderabad is developing, many of us are blind to the impacts of this industrialization on the environment. Multiple studies have been conducted on the Musi river at various stages in its course, and they have all reported the presence of numerous chemicals and drugs used to create the pharmaceuticals manufactured because these companies dump their runoff in the river. Organizations and universities have also carried out studies on the pollution that plagues the Musi river, their results showing and proving that the river is barely hanging on with dangerously high pH, biological and chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, and fluoride levels. This data is evidence that the river’s water is polluted so much that it can no longer be used for agriculture, livestock, and daily use purposes. Trash keeps building up in the river’s flow from daily acts of littering, both directly in the river and on land surrounding it, and large-scale pollution due to dumping of sewage from the city. Ironically, it has been discovered that waste cleaned from the Hussain Sagar Lake is relocated to the Musi river system. There is no doubt that the dire state of the river is due to the constant runoff of sewage, but that’s not where this problem stops. The state government has a long history of attempting to restore the Musi river, but their efforts are yet to clean the water. Their plans are either not put to action or don’t bear any results. While sewage treatment plants have been incorporated in the city, a majority of them don’t function properly, and due to this only half of the city’s sewage is actually disposed of. And the rest? It all goes right into the Musi river! As the city continues to pollute the river, various villages feel the impacts of the contaminated water and its dying ecosystem. Many villagers depend upon the waters to sustain their families, but the river’s polluted state is now affecting the people, animals, and crops that rely on it. Farmers and fishermen are developing dangerous diseases from the toxic pollutants of the water, and these illnesses are also affecting livestock. Fish and other animals can no longer sustain the conditions of the river. The incredibly contaminated water also goes into the fields and their crops, which feed the entire city. In addition to that, the dirty river flows throughout Hyderabad, its foul odor and polluted waters tainting the city’s streets. 

We can save our river by firstly constructing walls around the water in highly urbanized areas of the city as barriers to prevent people from polluting and littering it with trash. The city and state must form a department that focuses on the various water bodies that exist in the state, as current committees prioritize forests over river systems and generalize the issue of pollution within Telangana too much. Along with that, more scientific studies should be conducted on the river so the government can better understand its situation and develop effective solutions. Tiny streams or tributaries of the river throughout Hyderabad must be removed because as people pollute them, the trash flows directly into the actual Musi river. Similarly, we must introduce fresh water sourced from cleaner water bodies into the river so the amount of uncontaminated discharge in the river is increased. This will lower the levels of pollutants in the water and make it less toxic, helping people who depend on the river to be able to use it once again. Next, properly funded and managed sewage treatment plants should be built near where the water flows into rural areas because villagers depend much more on the Musi river. Placing sewage treatment plants closer to the villages will ensure that they have better access to cleaner water from the river. Lastly, the government should immediately issue an order to block sewage lines from going into the river and instead direct them right towards sewage and waste treatment facilities so the river isn’t polluted like it usually is. The government must hear our cry for action and immediately start working to save the river sustainably. Together let’s save our Musi river!