The Musi river was the cause of frequent flood devastation of Hyderabad city until the early decades of the 20th century.

[2][3] Abdallah Ahmed Bin Mahfooz submitted his report on 1 October 1909, with recommendations on preventing a recurrence of floods and improving civic amenities.

However, there are conflicting reports that Sir M. Visvesvaraya was engaged by the erstwhile Nizam to help design the drainage system and prevent floods.

A dam was built in 1920 across the river, ten miles (16  km) upstream from the city called Osman Sagar.

These lakes prevented the flooding of the River Musi and are major drinking water sources for Hyderabad city.