History:
The construction of reservoir on Esi a tributary of Musi River was completed in 1927, for providing drinking water source for Hyderabad and saving the city from floods, which Hyderabad suffered in 1908. It was built during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam VII and is named after his youngest son Himayat Ali Khan.
The Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar reservoirs provided continuous water supply to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad until recently. Due to population growth, they are not sufficient to meet the cities’ water supply demand.The engineer at the time of construction was late Khaja Mohinuddin, son of Mohammed Hussein, Madri.The grassy area adjoining the lake is an ideal picnic and recreation spot. The road atop the bund is popular for a good drive.
In June 2012, the water level at Osman Sagar was 1769.8 feet. On October 1, 2012, the level was 1771.8 feet, an increase of a mere 2 feet. Similarly, in Himayatsagar, the water level in June 2012 was 1743.3 feet and on October 1, it was 1,747.4 feet, an increase of about 4 feet. In October 2011, the water levels at Osmansagar and Himayatsagar were 1781.9 feet and 1754.9 feet respectively.