HYDERABAD: The month of September is commonly referred as sitamghar — that which brings misery. The 28th day of this month brings back the memories of the devastating Musi River flood that forever altered the landscape of Hyderabad.
It was a fateful day when the Musi River swelled to unimaginable proportions, wreaking havoc on the city and its residents. With approximately 15,000 lives lost and over 80,000 rendered homeless, this catastrophic event left an indelible mark on the history of Hyderabad, evoking deep sorrow even in the heart of the then Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, a moment captured by Sarojini Naidu in her poem, ‘Tears of Asif.’
The Deccan Archive, a group of passionate heritage enthusiasts led by architect Sibghatullah Khan and historian and INTACH convenor for Telangana, P Anuradha Reddy, organised a heritage walk in remembrance of the catastrophic deluge.
The calamity began with a cloudburst on September 26, which poured six inches of water onto the city. This was followed by a second cloudburst during the night of September 27. By 11 AM the next day, the city had accumulated nearly 19 inches of rainfall over 48 hours, causing the Musi to swell to a terrifying 14 feet above its regular level. There were hundreds of small tanks, one for every square mile across the river basin, designed to regulate river water. Many of these tanks were breached during the flood, leading to inundation in low-lying areas.
The Highest Flood Level (HFL) markers can be found in various parts of the city, indicating the height of floodwater from ground level. The highlight of the walk was these markers, which we traced along a stretch of roughly 2 km, beginning from Masjid-e-Miayan Mushk, moving along the Puranapul, through the Puranapul Darwaza, till the Hussain Allam Ashoorkhana.
The HFL marker that indicated the flood level at 14 feet 5 inches, can be spotted at the top of the Miayan Mushk mosque, signifying that everything beneath it was pretty much underwater. Another such marker was seen beneath the Puranapul, at a height of 12 feet above the river. A temple beside the river, built by Maharaja Chandulal, Prime Minister of Hyderabad during the reign of the second Nizam, was completely submerged as well.
Helping us to picturise what the desolation would have looked like, Sibghat Khan said, “In 1908, when tughiyani (deluge) happened, there was 17 feet of water above the river. The river is 40 feet deep. If on September 28, 1908, you were here at 11 AM, when the flood was at its peak, you would be standing under a sheet of approximately 60 feet of water. That is a six-floored building! Terrifying, isn’t it?”
Recognising the need for a comprehensive plan, the seventh Nizam Osman Ali Khan sent a telegram to Sir Mokshagundam Visvesaraya, Mysore’s chief engineer and dewan, and asked him to be the chief engineer for Hyderabad’s flood prevention program. He played a pivotal role in surveying the region and proposing the construction of dams or reservoirs at two strategic locations, which we now know as Himayatsagar and Osmansagar. These reservoirs were built to regulate the flow of floodwater (as well as provide a stock of drinking water for Hyderabad) and since their completion, the city has been spared from similar catastrophic floods.
The memory of the 1908 Musi river flood lingered in the collective consciousness of Hyderabad’s residents. In 1969, a rumour of the Osmansagar bund breaching caused panic among those living nearby. People cried out, “paani aaya, bhaago!” (water is coming, run!) – fear reminiscent of the tragic events of 1908. The devastation extended significantly further in the northern regions, including Gosha Mahal, Chaderghat, Begum Bazar and surrounding areas, where the floodwaters even reached as far as the Moazzam Jahi Market.
The Puranapul Bridge, earlier known as Sirat-al-Mustaqim, stood strong and resilient but its parapet and the walls on the sides were breached. Other bridges, such as Afzal Gunj Bridge, Musallam Gunj Bridge and Oliphant Bridge at Chaderghat, were not as fortunate and were washed away.
Another HFL marker can be seen on the side wall of Puranapul Darwaza, marking the flood level at 13 feet 9 inches. An inscription documenting the repairs made by Maharaja Chandulal to restore the bridge after similar floods of the 1820s bears its previous name. Puranapul Darwaza is the oldest surviving gateway of the walled city of Hyderabad.
The 1908 Musi River flood remains a harrowing chapter in Hyderabad’s history. However, it was disheartening to see that one of the flood’s historical markers, which indicates the ‘zero limit’ of the flood at 14 feet, is now neglected and obscured by garbage. This marker at Hussaini Allam, like others, showed the date of the flood and the water level until two years ago. The stone on which the mark was carved is now half broken and buried under a pile of garbage.
Being on the roadside, the marker was vulnerable and needed to be preserved. Other markers have remained as they are etched onto the buildings. The deluge remains a game-changing event in the urban history of the city, as it prompted the establishment of the City Improvement Board (CIB) and fostered a slew of planned developments across the city.