Himayat Sagar is an artificial lake about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Hyderabad in the Ranga Reddy district of Telangana, India. It lies parallel to a larger artificial lake Osman Sagar. The storage capacity of the reservoir is 2.9 tmc ft.
| Himayat Sagar | |
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View of Himayat Sagar
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 Himayat Sagar in Ranga Reddy District
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| Official name | Himayat Sagar |
| Country | India |
| Location | Ranga Reddy, Telangana, India |
| Coordinates | 17°18′N 78°21′E |
| Purpose | Multi-purpose |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1920 |
| Opening date | 1927 |
| Construction cost | ₹ 93 Lakh (As on 1920’s) |
| Owner(s) | Government of Telangana |
| Operator(s) | Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Barrage |
| Impounds | Esi River – a tributary of Musi |
| Height (foundation) | 33.832 meters |
| Height (thalweg) | 4.572 meters |
| Length | 2.255 kilometers |
| Elevation at crest | 537.514 meters |
| Spillways | 17 Gates |
| Spillway capacity | 1,60,000 cusecs |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Himayat Sagar |
| Total capacity | 2.967 Tmc ft (Reduced capacity due to silt accumulation); 4.251 Tmc ft (During 1927) |
| Catchment area | 688.937 Sq. Km |
| Surface area | 19.6839 Sq. Km |
History
The construction of reservoirs on the Esi, a tributary of the Musi River, was completed in 1927, with the intention of providing a drinking water source for Hyderabad and protecting the city from floods, which Hyderabad suffered in 1908. It was built during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam VII and is named after his elder son Himayat Ali Khan.
The Himayat Sagar dam and Osman Sagar reservoirs provided continuous water supply to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad until recently. Due to population growth, they are not sufficient to meet the cities’ water supply-demand.
The engineer at the time of construction was late Khaja Mohiuddin, son of Mohammed Hussein, Madri.
In 2022, the descendant of the royal family of the Nizam, Himayat Ali Mirza, has recently joined the movement to save Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar” as he believes that these reservoirs are iconic landmarks of Hyderabad and still act as a lifeline for lakhs of people of the old city. He also urged the then-CM of Telangana to withdraw the repeal of GO 111.
If GO 111 is repealed, Himayat feared that many parts of the city might be affected by floods even with small summer rains. Also, it would increase the illegal construction activities near the lake, ultimately increasing the threat of flooding.