Hyderabad: A gramophone-like instrument used to record water level at Osmansagar during the Nizam era is likely to get a new lease of life.
Municipal administration and urban development principal secretary Arvind Kumar on Saturday took to Twitter and wrote, “Came across this very interesting flood warning instrument at Osmansagar yesterday. The gramophone plays once water level is reaching danger mark. Each line on the gramophone record represents actual water level. Will try & get it repaired asap (sic).”
Mounted on a pedestal, the musical instrument was made of multiple metallic discs and a couple of cylinders.
As reported earlier by Times Of India, it was installed by the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan after the construction of the Osmansagar reservoir, one of the main drinking water sources for the twin cities, in 1920.
In a picture shared by Kumar revealed components brought from England during the British rule to build the Osman Sagar dam.
The component makers’ identity read: ‘Musi Valley Project, Gandipet. Ransomes & Rapier Ltd, Ipswich, 1914, England’.
In those days, the waterman used to go on horseback to the Osmansagar reservoir to note the levels of the reservoir every day. As a result, he would spend the entire day getting only one reading, Telangana Today mentioned in a report.
When Nizam learned about the time-consuming process, he held discussions with engineering officials and ordered, to install a water level meter in Osmansagar.
Earlier, attempts were made to restore it, but in vain. In 2009, it was kept in the Water Museum which was opened in the head office of the Water Board in Khairatabad. Due to various reasons, museum had to be closed and the instrument was shifted to its original place in Osmansagar.