Hyderabad, Sep 8 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Monday, laid the foundation stone for the second and third phases of a project aimed at bringing water from the Godavari River to Hyderabad to cater to the drinking water needs of the state capital and also for the rejuvenation of the Musi River, which flows through the city.

The second and third phase of the Godavari Drinking Water Scheme is estimated to cost Rs 7,360 crore and are scheduled to be completed in two years.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister announced the government will bring 20 Thousand Million Cubic feet (TMC) of Godavari water to Hyderabad, of which 16 TMC will be utilised for drinking water needs of the city, while the remaining 4 TMC will be released into the Musi to cleanse it and to replenish lakes along its course.

He claimed that Musi rejuvenation was being taken up for the people of Nalgonda district who have been suffering due to pollution.

He recalled that he had promised to purify the toxic Musi during a padyatra in Nalgonda district.

Drawing a parallel with the cleaning of rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sabarmati, the Chief Minister questioned why the Musi should be denied such an initiative. He criticised Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for failing to take up cleaning of Musi during its 10-year rule.

Assuring that the government is committed to transforming Hyderabad into a world-class city, the Chief Minister urged all sections of society to come together for development.

He recalled the historical efforts made to safeguard and serve the people of Hyderabad. He said that in 1908, the Nizam Government had constructed Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar to protect Hyderabad from devastating Musi floods, and for more than a century, those reservoirs have continued to supply drinking water to the city, a true reflection of the Nizam's foresight.

Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar will be filled with the water being brought from the Godavari. Seven intermediate lakes will also be filled along the route.

The Chief Minister stated that successive governments have made relentless efforts to meet the drinking water requirements of Hyderabad, a city with a population of over one crore.

In 1965, drinking water from the Manjeera River was brought to the city by the Congress government. In 2002, Krishna River water was brought in three phases, quenching the thirst of the city's growing population.

The Chief Minister clarified that water is being drawn from the Sreepada Yellampalli project and not from Mallanna Sagar, as falsely claimed by some.

Mallanna Sagar is part of the Kaleshwaram Project constructed during the BRS rule, and the investigation into the alleged corruption in the project has been dominating the state politics for more than a year.

He alleged that the BRS government dismantled the Pranahita-Chevella project initiated by the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, due to financial greed, thereby depriving farmers in Chevella, Tandur, and Parigi of irrigation water. He reiterated that the Government would revive the project near Tummidihatti and ensure irrigation for farmers of Adilabad and Rangareddy districts.

Revanth Reddy declared that he would visit Maharashtra to meet his counterpart and discuss the construction of the project at Tummidihatti across the Godavari.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Phase II drinking water supply project for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, surrounding municipalities, municipal corporations, and gram panchayats along the Outer Ring Road.

According to officials, the project cost is Rs. 1,200 crore. A total of 71 reservoirs were constructed, of which 15 newly built ones were inaugurated by CM Revanth Reddy.

Officials said drinking water will be supplied to 25 lakh people across 14 mandals.

/IANS