Hussainsagar had dried up in 1922 and it had to be desilted as waste had accumulated at the Tank Bund area. The man-made lake had gone dry for the first time in 360 years, as there was no flow towards the bund owing to large waste deposits.

The lake was excavated in 1562, under the supervision of Hussain Shah Wali, son-in-law and architect of Ibrahim Qutb Shah. At that time there was no human habitation around Hussainsagar. Hyderabad came up in 1591 while the lake was completed in 1562.

Heritage enthusiast Mohd Safiullah said, “Hussainsagar, which served as a drinking water source to the semi arid region, went dry in 1922, the water then was drained with a total budget of Rs 2.54 lakh. The lake took five continuous monsoons to fill up. This was the first time in history that the lake bed was exposed.” The digging of the lake had taken three years. The water was used in the 1920s and 30s for irrigation and drinking purpose.

Source: DC