The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) started probing claims that a prominent real estate developer encroached on the Musi river near Manchirevula village. This spot sits by the Narisingi exit of the Outer Ring Road. Officials also question the removal of a natural water path that fed into the river there.
A HYDRAA team checked the luxury apartment site’s construction on Tuesday. They aimed to map the project’s spot against the river’s Maximum Flood Level (MFL).
People raised encroachment charges since the project began. Yet no key agencies ever backed those claims. Reports say the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) first approved it. Later, they pulled the permit. The developer then went to the High Court and won a ruling to build.
At an earlier media event, HMDA chief Sarfaraz Ahmed addressed the supposed violation. He noted the developer used the river’s buffer zone for gear storage. Ahmed called it fine since the land was private.
But heavy rains hit recently. Twin reservoirs released 35,000 cusecs of extra water into the Musi. The site’s under-construction cellars flooded. That sparked fresh doubts about the encroachment.
HYDRAA head A.V. Ranganath verified the flooding.
“Drone photos show river water reaching the cellars,” Ranganath said. “It looks like the claims hold weight. That’s why we’re looking into it.”
In 1908, the Musi faced its worst floods ever. Water flow hit 4.5 lakh cusecs. After that, builders made Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs to control flood surges. Water experts note the river can handle 60,000 cusecs inside its MFL without issue.
Ranganath faced questions on whether the project crossed the Irrigation department’s MFL line. He admitted doubts that borders got shifted to fit the build. The probe also covers the lost natural channel that once ran through the site to the river.
Google’s old satellite views prove it. They show the channel flowing to join the river. A November 2022 image captures the river’s path and the channel’s outlet. Now, in fresh images, the channel is gone. The river flow area got filled and flattened for the project.