Remembering the destructive Hyderabad floods of September 1908
| Video Credit:
The Hindu
On September 28, 1908 a huge wave of water towering over 46 feet swept both the banks of the River Musi in Hyderabad. It was raining from September 27 as a cyclone over the Bay of Bengal swept inwards from the coastal area.
Over 48 hours, the downpour continued on the Musi river basin logging 98.57 cm rainfall. Of the 788 tanks and lakes in the river basin, 221 breached due to the cloudburst. At 11 a.m. on September 28, an estimated 4,25,000 cusecs of water raced through the city sweeping away over 50,000 homes, and killing about 15,000 people. This flood is still remembered as Parson ki Tughyani (yesterday’s flood) or Tughyani Sitambar.
Why was the destruction so widespread. How did the hydrology of the river affect the destruction?
The historic flood of 1908 and how it helped the Nizam remake the city is paralleled now by the actions of Congress government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. While a flood was a trigger then, now the administration is compelled to do it due to rise in global temperatures and urban flooding events that have become a regular feature in most cities of the world.
Will the Congress government manage to make the city safer for its citizens?
Presentation and script: Serish Nanisetti
Editing: Sabika Syed
Video: G. Ramakrishna
Published – October 31, 2024 12:11 pm IST
