Hyderabad, October 23: The Water Museum established by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) at Khairatabad head office in April this year has been closed.
The museum set up in April this year was born out of the efforts of the previous managing director G Asok Kumar. It became a hit among school and college students as it traces the history of drinking water supply up to the present day through working engines, rare instruments, display panels, guidebooks, old photographs, registers and present day activities and new projects like Godavari drinking water project, new water and sewage treatment plants.
Water Museum was said to be first of its kind to be established in the country by a Water Board.
The main objective of establishing the museum was to impart knowledge and create awareness among people and the student community in particular.
Old equipment such as pipes, motors, valves which are stored in various divisions and sections of the Water Board have been collected and transported to the head office.
The museum showcased the historic and coherent story of the provision of portable water and water supplies from earliest habitation to the present day. The aim of the museum was to project itself as a valuable educational resource to local and regional schools, further education and higher education establishments, and for the purposes of lifelong learning. The museum was attractive and accessible, physically and intellectually, to all groups in society.
Apart from the equipment, historical photographs of various water supply systems right from the origin of its development such as construction of Osmansagar (Gandipet), Himayatsagar and Hussainsagar lakes, and the Manjeera reservoir as well as the sewerage systems in vogue since the city’s founding were on display, along with its write-up details, photographs, working drawing, models, registers, graphs, tools, visiting personality details before and after the events.
HMWS&SB officials told ‘Expresso’ the museum was not as per Vaastu Shastra and sparing such huge place in the head office was not required.
One of the historical attractions that the museum housed was Audible Water Level Indicator.
It was installed during the construction on Osmansagar reservoir, in the year 1920 and used to give information on the water levels and flood threats at Osmansagar through a gramophone which was audible at the head office of Water Works at Goshamahal. It was manufactured by M/s Geo Kent Ltd, London and Luton.
the museum also displayed the designs and estimates of Osmansagar and Himyathsagar reservoirs prepared by the famous engineer Sir Mokshagundam Vishveswaraya. When he was the Dewan of Mysore, he prepared designs and estimates of Osmansagar and Himyathsagar reservoirs constructed across Musi and Esi Rivers. Even today, these two reservoirs are the major sources of drinking water supplies to different parts of city.
To maintain water supply systems bends, tees etc are required since there were no foundries in the near vicinity of Hyderabad. The department used to manufacture the required special at the workshop located in Asifnagar Filter beds. These patterns used to be displayed at the Museum.
There were chlorine cylinders register maintained at Asifnagar Filter Beds during the Nizam Government before Independence. One can find demos of latest projects of Krishna and Godavari drinking water projects.
–Agencies–