GO 111

What is GO 111?

• On March 8, 1996, the government of erstwhile (undivided) Andhra Pradesh had issued ‘Government Order (GO) 111’ .
• The GO prohibited the setting up of industries, residential colonies, hotels, etc. which cause pollution. 
• The total catchment area covers around 1.30 lakh acres, spread over 84 villages. 
• The aim of the restrictions was to protect the catchment area, and to keep the reservoirs pollution-free. 
• The lakes had been supplying water to Hyderabad for nearly 70 years, and were the main source of drinking water for the city at the time.
• According to the Telangana government, the city no longer depended on these reservoirs for its water needs as the government is now able to draw water from massive Krishna and Godavari rivers.

History of the lakes-

• The lakes were created by building dams on the Musi (also known as Moosa or Muchkunda) river, a major tributary of the Krishna, to protect Hyderabad from floods. 
• The proposal to build the dams came after a major flood during the reign of the sixth nizam Mahbub Ali Khan (1869-1911) in 1908, in which more than 15,000 people were killed.
• Legendary engineer M. Visvesvaraya was brought in to make the city flood-proof. 
• Under his recommendation to control excess water during floods, these two massive storage reservoirs were built.
• The lakes came into being during the reign of the last nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1911-48). 
• Osman Sagar was completed in 1921, and Himayat Sagar in 1927. 
• The nizam’s guesthouse at Osman Sagar is now a heritage building.
• Himayat Sagar is an artificial lake that lies parallel to a larger artificial lake Osman Sagar.
• Osmansagar, also called Gandipet, is a man made reservoir created by constructing a dam across the Isa, a tributary of Musi River.
• The Osmansagar lake also houses a heritage building, Sagar Mahal, which was built as a resort by the Hyderabad Nizam and has been transformed into a lake resort by the department of Tourism.