CHAPTER - III HYDERABAD AND ITS ENVIRONS

Transcription

1 26 CHAPTER - III HYDERABAD AND ITS ENVIRONS 3.1 ORIGIN OF HYDERABAD Hyderabad is the successor of the fortress town of Golconda whose ruins are found at the extreme West of the city on the North bank of river Musi. This fortress city was the Capital of the Kingdom of Golconda from its inception in 1510 A.D. Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, was founded as Civil capital in the year 1591 on the South bank of the Musi four miles East of Golconda by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth sultan of Qutb Shahi dynasty. Quli Qutub Shah seized the reins of power from the Bahamani kingdom in 1512 and established the fortress city of Golconda. Inadequacy of water and frequent epidemics of plague and cholera persuaded Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah to venture outward to establish new city with the Charminar at its centre and with four great roads fanning out four cardinal directions. Hyderabad's fame, strategic location and Golconda's legendary wealth attracted Aurangazeb who captured Golconda after a long seize in After this defeat the importance of Hyderabad declined and the city fell into partial ruins. As the Moghul Empire decayed and began to disintegrate, the viceroy, Asaf Jah I proclaimed himself the Nizam and established independence rule of the Deccan. Hyderabad once again became a major capital city, ruled by successive Nizams of the Asaf Jahi dynasty until the State was merged into Indian Union in 1948.

2 27 `In 1798, a subsidiary alliance for military and political cooperation was signed between the Nizam and the British East India Company. Thereafter, an area north of what is now the Hussain Sagar was established as a cantonment. The area was named Secunderabad after the then Nizam, Sikander Jah. In the year 1869, Sir Salar Jung-I the then Nizam has constituted the Department of Municipal and Road Maintenance and a Municipal Commissioner was appointed for Hyderabad Board and Chadarghat Board. These two Boards were amalgamated in the year 1933 into a Corporation and given statutory status under the Hyderabad Municipal Act. In 1950, two separate corporations were created under the Hyderabad Corporation Act, 1950, one for the city of Hyderabad and another for the city of Secunderabad. These two Corporations were again merged into a single Corporation - Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. 3.2 STAGES IN THE GROWTH OF HYDERABAD AND SECUNDERABAD The development of the urban complex of Hyderabad Secunderabad can be conveniently classified under nine historical stages:- i. The Qutb Shahi Stage (or) First Twin City Stage ii. The Transitional Phase iii. The Early Asaf Jahi Period iv. The Second Twin City Stage v. The Railway Stage

3 28 vi. The Pre-Capital formation Stage vii. The Developing Stage viii. The Modern or Metropolitan Stage ix. The IT Revolution Stage onwards These stages indicate the occurrence of a significant political event or the introduction of new economic factors having a marked influence on the forms and functions of the twin cities THE QUTB SHAHI STAGE (OR) THE FIRST TWIN CITY STAGE ( ) Hyderabad city was planned on a grid pattern consisting of two main roads, running East West and North South and intersecting at Charminar, the city centre. It is thus formed four Quarters of its four quartets, the North Western was set apart for royal place palaces and state offices, and the North-Eastern for the residences of the nobles. Hyderabad rapidly outshone the fortress town of Golconda and became the nerve centre of the Kingdom, directing its administrative, intellectual, cultural and commercial activities. This city s growth continued E-W along the commercial highway of the Kingdom until It was suddenly halted by annexation of the Kingdom to the Moghul Empire. The first Twin City phase (Hyderabad Golconda) ended with the collapse of the Kingdom and the subsequent abandonment of Golconda fort.

4 THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE ( ) This period began with a halt in the active life and growth of the city. The seat of authority was shifted from Hyderabad to Aurangabed, the Southern headquarters of Moghul Empire. Towards the end of 1725 Nizam Mulk Asaf Jah founded the Asaf Jahi Dynasty of Hyderabad and took firm control of the Deccan & the Hyderabad city THE EARLY ASAF JAHI PERIOD ( ) This period is characterized by two distinct phases, one of inhibition ( ), and the other of acceleration ( ).The period of inhibition was one of the great economic stress and strain for Hyderabad because Aurangabad was still the capital and many wealthy feudal land lords had migrated to Aurangabad. The death of Asaf Jahi I in 1748 and the Anglo French struggle for supremacy over Deccan ( ) renewed political uncertainty which adversely affected Hyderabad s growth. There was no sub-urban expansion and mansions of the nobles were largely deserted and in ruins. The phase of acceleration started in 1763, when the Viceroy or the Nizam of the Deccan, Nizam Ali Khan ( ) shifted his head quarters to Hyderabad. Hyderabad thus re-emerged as the Chief City of the Deccan after an eclipse of seventy six years. As a result of this decision, the nobles of the court and their retainers also returned to Hyderabad from Aurangabad and thus the increase of land revenue, commerce and city building were greatly stimulated.

5 THE SECOND TWIN CITY STAGE ( ) In 1798 two significant political decisions profoundly altered the course of the city s development. In the first instance the subsidiary alliance of the Nizam with the East India Company in 1798 created Secunderabad and consequently ushered in second phase of the development of Hyderabad through with settlements and, secondly, the Nizam s permission for the construction of the British Residency on the North bank changed the trend of the Hyderabad s growth THE RAILWAY PERIOD ( ) The inception of the Railway in the twin cities led to a considerable growth, much of it oriented to the Railway stations, goods yards, associated ware house areas and industrial regions. From Bombay, the Railway line spanning Hyderabad and Secunderabad in 1874 was extended to Madras via Warangal in Regionally the Railways made a tremendous difference by transferring the trade of Hyderabad from Machilipatnam to Bombay and Madras. They accelerated the Northward expansion of Hyderabad, assisted the industrial development of the two cities, and reinforced the commercial importance and compact development of Secunderabad. There were no modern industries in either city before 1874, but a few years later, a couple of Railway workshops were established in Secunderabad and four factories sprung up towards South and East of Hussain Sagar. These became the nuclei of new settlements.

6 31 Secunderabad s wholesale & retail business considerably expanded during this period THE MODERN (OR) METROPOLITAN STAGE ( ) The modern area of the twin settlements and their fusion into a great metropolis followed a characteristic flood which dislocated life in Hyderabad. The flood of 28 th September, 1908 was subsequently followed by events of economic & political significance which changed the social, cultural, political & economic structure of the twin cities. Sri M. Visveshvarayya the great Engineer statesman advised the then Government both on the flood control measures and city improvements. As a first stop towards the development of the city, the City Improvement Board was constituted in the year 1912 and greater attention was given to the provision of roads, markets, shopping centres and housing facilities. Several Public utility services such as protected water supply, electricity and sewage schemes, telephone system, rail and air links etc., have added to the physical growth of the city. Subsequently after the formation of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad has experienced tremendous growth. Many industries have sprung up and numerous housing colonies have developed. Most of the Developed parts of the city have become multi-functional in character THE DEVELOPING STAGE ( ) Hyderabad is constructed as Capital of Andhra Pradesh from 1 st November, Hyderabad is an important metropolitan centers of

7 32 India and primate city of Andhra Pradesh. Its importance has grown as a metropolitan centre of the country for highly specialized and advanced medical and educational services. It has 4 universities viz., Osmania, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological, Agricultural and Central University. Besides there are number of colleges and technical institutes offering practical training in Engineering and allied areas. It has advanced research and training centers of National and International Importance in Chemistry, Geophysics, Nutrition, Electronics, Public Enterprise, American studies, Rural Development, small industries Forensic Medicine, Banking, personnel Management and survey and Photogrammetry. It is the headquarter of the State Bank of Hyderabad and the Andhra Bank, and the regional headquarters of the State Bank of India. The head-quarters of South Central Railway are located here. Besides Railway lines, quite a few National and State Highways originate from Hyderabad. The Metropolitan Area of Hyderabad has a number of large scale units. Among the Public sector Units mention may be made of HMT, HAL, IDPL, HCL, ECIL, NFC, NRSC, CCMB, NIN, IDL, BHEL, Survey of India etc. There are a few joint sector units promoted by the APIDC in Hyderabad like Indo Nippon Precision Bearings and State managed units like Hyderabad Allwyn Metal Works. Some of the Important Units in the Private Sector are Sri Rani Refrigeration, Hyderabad Asbestos cement works and Warner Hindustan etc.,

8 33 In view of its strategic location the defense establishments such as DRDL, BDL, Hakimpet defense air port station, Dindigul air base etc have been established. Thus, the city of Hyderabad has its own importance in various fields THE PRE-IT REVOLUTION STAGE ( ) Hyderabad witnessed growth of public sector enterprises. Numerous organizations set up base and attracted people to come and settle down in Hyderabad. The presence of defense related organisations continued to ensure the cosmopolitan nature of the Hyderabad society. Post liberalization and the advent of the STPI policy, Hyderabad became a nerve centre of IT related activities. A large number of people from the AP state were settled in the USA and Europe and enabled the possibility of outsourcing. The population grew steadily between these periods and Hyderabad city become one of the important cities of India in terms of size and contribution. The pool of talent in Andhra Pradesh and especially in Hyderabad provided steady supply of professionals. Hyderabad was already an established centre of education and learning and was ready to take on the IT revolution THE TRI-CITY STAGE HYDERABAD-SECUNDERABAD- CYBERABAD (2001 ONWARDS) The development of HITECH City led to the formation of Cyberabad City. This has brought in the largest multinationals to set up base in Hyderabad and the spurt of private enterprises was supported by

9 34 appropriate government policies and provision of land and infrastructure. Large number of Software training institutes sprung up and provided the large manpower to these companies which connected to the global economy and in turn rejuvenated the local economy of Hyderabad. The city grew in leaps and bounds during this decade. the civic agencies were faced with complex urban challenges. Highlights of this period are the development of the International Airport, Financial District, Outer Ring Road and the expressways. Hyderabad had a new face and had become known as the global city as expatriates thronged the city and made it their home and work place. New areas were developed and inhabited by the new population. The formation of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has been constituted in view of the rapid development of Hyderabad and its surroundings. Hyderabad had become a Metropolis and one of the cities in India with a global reckoning. 3.3 LOCATION & IMPORTANCE Hyderabad City is situated in the river Musi and Krishna basin, which is a tributary of river Krishna, passes through the city and bifurcates it into Northern and Southern Hyderabad. It is situated between & east longitude & between & north latitude. The ground levels vary from 487 meters to 610 meters above mean sea level.

10 35 Figure 3.1 Showing Location & Base Map of MCH

11 AREA & DEMOGRAPHY Hyderabad is the sixth largest city in the urban agglomeration in India. The Urban Agglomeration consists of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) (172 sq.km), surrounding 12 municipalities which are now merged with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Secunderabad Cantonment, Osmania University and other areas. The urban agglomeration population has increased from 4.3 million in 1991 to 5.7 million in This was more than 50 % during and 27% during The population details of urban agglomeration and other constituents are given in the table 3.1 below. Table 3.1 Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration - Population Trends COMPONENT AREA (SQ KM) POPULATION DENSITY (LAKHS) (2001) (p/sq.km) Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad 12- Municipalities Others HUA HUDA Source: Census of India, 2001

12 FUTURE GROWTH The population growth rates seen during 1991 and 2001 will continue in future though at a lesser rate. The population projections in the urban agglomeration indicate that the metropolitan area would house a population of lakhs in 2011 and lakhs in 2021 as shown in table 3.2. Table 3.2 Population Projections Component Area (sq.km) Total Population Density (Population / sq. km) (in lakhs) Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad Surrounding municipalities Others HUA HUDA CLIMATE The climate of Hyderabad is fairly equitable. The previous data for a period of 50 years shows that the daily mean maximum temperature varies from a minimum of C during the month of December to 45 0 C in the month of April and temperature of Hyderabad ranges from 22 0 C, 43 0 C, 33 0 C, C in January, May, August & November

13 38 respectively. The Average minimum and maximum temperature vary between 7 0 C & 10 0 C and between 40 0 C and 44 0 C, respectively. The rainfall is received mainly from the southwest monsoon from the month of June to October, amounting to 125 mm on an average. 3.7 WIND DIRECTION Sky clearance factor is 50 to 70 except in rainy season, which is above 20. Wind direction is mostly from southwest. The wind speed ranges 5.15, 10.3, and 6.92kms per hour in January, May, August and November respectively. Evaporation rate is about 250cms per year. 3.8 GEOLOGY Hyderabad is surrounded by scattered granite hills with a height of 61 to 91 metres. The district is situated on grey and pink rocks-among the world s oldest. Maula Ali, the Golconda Rock and the Black Rock at Tirumalgherry are some of the hills in the city. There are two small hillocks In the heart of the city known as Naubatpahad and Kalapahad on which Birla Planetarium and Marble Temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara respectively were constructed. Hyderabad is located on the hilly plateau of Archacean crystalline rocks. It is centrally located in the Deccan, command the vale of the Musi, a tributary of Krishna. The city occupies an undulating valley plain 488m-518m ( ft), above sea level.

14 39 The horizon is seen by a continuous crest of hummocky granite hills rising above 122m(400 ft). above the city. Secunderabad is located on a ridge 15m(50ft). higher than Hyderabad about 10km (6 miles) on North. There are irregular ranges of low hills rising to 45.7m-91.5m(150 to 300 ft). long and narrow intersecting quartz and dolerite dykes, decomposed masses of logging stones and many tanks surrounding the twin cities. 3.9 VEGETATION Due to the general hot and dry climate of the city, the vegetation of the exhibits xerophytic adaptations. The forests have disappeared due to rapid urbanization. There is no space for developing forests since the district is urbanized. During the beginning of 19 th century, the district with its low scrubby jungles was home of leopards, bears, hyenas and occasionally tigers while in the more open plains the antelope was found in plenty. The ruling family of erstwhile Hyderabad State exclusively for enjoyment of the nobles used do lot of hunting game in these areas FAUNA There is a famous Nehru Zoological Park spread over 300 Acres in Hyderabad and it has been planned to have large moated enclosures. There is more than one thousand animals and birds housed, in comparative freedom and in surroundings, almost resembling their natural habitat. In addition to Indian animals, foreign fauna is

15 40 represented by the red kangaroos, giraffes, Zebras, hippos, ostriches, chimpanzees, fallow deer of Europe and black swans in the zoo park. Lion Safari (first in South East Asia), crocodile rearing and Natural History Museum are some of the attractions in the park. Mir Alam tank which is adjoining the zoo park has been developed into a charming drive lake for the visitors. In the zoo prehistoric animal park, ancient life museum, natural history museum, lion safari park is some of the attractions URBAN ENVIRONMENT There is rapid growth of Hyderabad and due to this the urban environmental problems are increasing due to the growth of unsustainable economic activities, increase in vehicular transport, and lack of public transport system and inadequate provision of basic infrastructure such as water supply, sewerage. Due to this rapid growth, the air and noise pollution, depleting ground water and contamination of water bodies and lakes, destruction of natural and man made resources of cultural value and improper management of domestic and industrial effluents are the most important to be tackled immediately. The following report gives the analysis of the urban environmental problems of Hyderabad.

16 Air Pollution Due to growth of vehicular population, air pollution is increasing every day in Hyderabad as shown in table 3.3. It is observed that an average decadal growth of almost 9% during The number of vehicles has grown from 0.5million to more than a million during this period. As per the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board estimations about 691 tonnes of air pollutants emitted every day. CO has a share of 392 tonnes, HC 240 tonnes, NOX 44 tonnes, SO2 6 tonnes, and SPM 10 tonnes and lead tonnes. These levels are increasing over the period. Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) levels have reached to its maximum levels. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) levels are well above the Indian Standards since Table 3.3: Air Quality Status at Selected Locations Average Values Maximum Values Minimum Values Location TSP RSP No M M x SO TSP RSP No SO TSP RSP No SO 2 M M x 2 M M x Abids Punjagut ta Paradise Charmin ar 3 Zoo Park Source: APPCB 2001

17 Water Pollution There are number of natural and water bodies formed because of the undulating topography of Hyderabad and its surroundings. There are numerous tanks, meant for irrigation and drinking purposes. They have become the major sources of water supply. Some of the major water bodies are: Musi River Musi River, rises in the Ananthagiri hills near Vikarabad, on the west of the city. It flows towards east, passing through the middle of Hyderabad City, into Nalgonda district where it joins the Krishna River near Vadapalle. Two major reservoirs "Osmansagar across Musi and Himayatsagar across Esi, Musi s tributary are situated at a distance of and 9.66 Kms respectively. They are the major sources of water supply to the City. The waste water of Hyderbad about 850 MLD are discharged into the River Musi through 64 sewage outlets making the river. Water quality analysis in Musi indicates the TDS range between 600 to 1000 mg/l and the COD ranges from 134 to 350 mg/l. The majority of the dissolved solids are inorganic in nature and are bio-accumulative and toxic which can have long-term impacts on health. The ph values are higher than 7.5 indicating the alkaline nature of the water body.

18 URBAN LAKES Hyderabad and its hinterland had about 532 lakes. But at present there are only 400 lakes left, of which 169 are more than 25 acres. During the early storm water system had 48 flood absorbing tanks. Due to uncontrolled and rapid urbanization, many water bodies have disappeared, most of them have been converted into housing colonies by reclamation and others shrunk in size. There are about 169 natural water bodies, which have more than 10 Acres of water spread area within HUDA area and they are notified for protection. The water quality in the lakes is degraded due to the discharge of the effluents of industries located in the vicinity without any treatment. The Water bodies are grouped in two categories based on their pollution levels and spread of water. The Category I lakes are large in size and requires attention for immediate treatment. The sewage and sullage flows into these lakes from the surrounding structures. Some of these are partly encroached and partly under the legal title (patta). Many these lakes are spread with water hyacinth and weeds which reduces the water spread to 30% or less of its original rating. Due to the pollution of these lakes, the underground water is contaminated. During rainy season, the flooding into dwelling units is common phenomenon. Bad and foul smell is a constant feature.

19 44 Hussain Sagar Lake situated in the middle of the city, was a drinking water source during olden days. This lake was polluted due to discharge of untreated industrial effluents from north of the city and domestic sewerage carried by the nalas en-route. Ground water samples near to Hussain Sagar revealed higher levels of toxic metals like Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Nickel etc. The water holding capacity of this Hussain sagar tank is decreased drastically due to shrinkage of water spread and siltation URBAN GREENERY There are number of initiatives to improve the existing greenery in the city and also in the institutional lands, community lands, residential colonies and green belts along the roadways. The following are some such initiatives. 1. Afforestation of degraded wastelands 2. Development of vegetation in institutional and open-access lands 3. Growing Nurseries/homestead planting and agro-forestry 4. Residential Colonies plantations 5. Growing greenbelt along roadways 6. Development of Colony Parks & Open Spaces 7. Development of Lake Parks 8. Developmkent of Driveway parks and walkway Gardens:

20 HERITAGE BUILDINGS Hyderabad is a historical place. The city has many archaeological, historical, educational and recreational places of interest and is a tourist s paradise. Some of the important archaeological and historical places include, Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Char Minar, Mecca Masjid Falaknuma Palace High Court Osmania General Hospital Buildings Salar Jung Museum