Telangana government on 26 April 2022 has announced that the State Cabinet has approved to Cancel/ Repeal the G.O. 111 which was issued in the year 1996 to protect the catchment area of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar from construction activities around the water bodies. G.O. 111 was issued to Protect and cater to the drinking water needs of the people living in the Greater Hyderabad Region. The state government stated they had overcome the issues with drinking water and had since created adequate alternate water resources.
Utilizing the Sunkishala Intake Project and Mallanna Sagar, Hyderabad will not face a water crisis for another 100 years. The GO affects 83 villages and 1.32 lakh acres, and it will be tough for the residents to adapt if it were to be lifted at once.
A committee has been appointed which is headed by the Chief Secretary along with officials of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and state Forest Department to make a master plan to protect the tributaries of the Musi River, i.e., the Musa and the Esa River along with the Himayata Sagar and Osman Sagar lakes and not get affected by construction activities.
The government was also directed to create a master plan to rejuvenate Green Zones. Municipal Administration Minister and officials have been asked to address the issue in phases after preparing master plans and green zones. An expert committee is looking into the matter.
