Musi River Rejuvenation Project faces BJP and expert criticism over cost and approach

Key facts

• The Telangana government’s Musi River Rejuvenation Project is estimated to cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
• BJP state president N. Ramchander-Rao questioned the funding feasibility given the state’s unpaid pension dues.
• The Gandhi Sarovar Project, a part of the Musi initiative, saw its cost rise from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore within days.
• Rao emphasised the project’s impact across South Telangana and called for a holistic approach from catchment to Krishna River confluence.
• Vedire Sriram, water adviser to the Maharashtra government, described the works as superficial beautification rather than true revival and noted rejuvenation takes at least 20 years.
• Sriram stated the Central Water Commission (CWC) has not been consulted, which jeopardises prospects of international funding.
• He offered a revised DPR free of cost, claiming the Rs 160-crore DPR is riddled with loopholes and suggests sourcing water from Singur and Manjeera for Rs 100 crore instead of Rs 1,000 crore from Mallanna Sagar.
• Sriram underlined the need for stakeholder participation, catchment-area percolation structures, massive afforestation and sewage treatment to reduce water pollution to below 3 PPM.