Hyderabad: The Musi River in Telangana is becoming similar to the polluted Yamuna River in Delhi. The foam on the Musi River is a growing concern, and it poses a risk to the people living nearby.
Although all political parties agree that the Musi River is highly polluted, none of them are taking serious action to clean it. Political leaders seem more focused on protecting their vote banks than on improving the river’s condition. They are not paying attention to how the polluted river affects the air and water quality in the area.
On Monday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) along the Musi River in Hyderabad was 129, which is considered “moderate.” However, this level of pollution can still cause breathing problems for people with lung diseases like asthma. It can also cause discomfort for people with heart conditions, children, and older adults.
Residents of the area remember a shocking incident from January 25, 2017, when a Telangana Road Transport Corporation bus skidded while passing through Pochampalli mandal. The bus didn’t slip because of bad road conditions, but because of froth that had overflowed from a nearby stream, which is a tributary of the Musi River.
The froth is mainly caused by excessive chemical waste. Many factories are dumping their untreated waste directly into the river. This pollution has been happening for decades, slowly killing the river.
In the 1990s, the city of Hyderabad experienced rapid growth, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. As more factories were established, the pollution in the Musi River worsened. Environmental activists have been raising concerns for years about companies violating rules and releasing untreated waste into water bodies like the Musi and Hussain Sagar.
A study found that the water, soil, and air around the Musi River are full of harmful pollutants. This pollution has had a negative impact on both the health of the people and the surrounding environment.
The pollution has even driven away the washer folk community, who once relied on the river for their livelihood. Once a lifeline for Telangana, the Musi River has sadly become a stream filled with toxic chemicals and waste. About 40 years ago, the river’s water was clean and clear, but now it is highly polluted and dangerous.
