Telangana will begin the first phase of the Musi River rejuvenation project in the first week of April, officials confirmed. Phase one will cover Osman Sagar to Bapu Ghat, an 11 km stretch, and Himayat Sagar to Bapu Ghat, a nine km stretch, and will develop about 200 acres near Bapu Ghat into Gandhi Sarovar as an experiential centre. Preparatory work delayed a February start and the government plans to invite the Union Defence Minister to lay the foundation stone.

The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited has completed the detailed project report and hydrological studies, and the Asian Development Bank has given in-principle approval for phased funding. Phase one works will include trunk sewer lines, stormwater drains, water-retention structures, weirs and barrages at selected sites. Gandhi Sarovar will include a handloom promotion centre, exhibition spaces, a meditation village, public recreation areas and visitor ghats, with tertiary-treated water reused for landscaping and industry.

Gandhi Sarovar will require about 300 acres, of which 98 acres belong to the defence ministry, approximately 40 acres are private patta land and the remainder is government land; authorities have identified about 1,400 structures on private parcels. The MRDCL managing director EV Narasimha Reddy said the corporation carried out a 100-year hydrological study that recorded a maximum flood discharge of 0.162 mn cusecs. A 50-metre buffer zone has been established on the basis of the study.

The 55 km Musi stretch is divided into five zones for rejuvenation, with phase one covering Zone one around Bapu Ghat. To prevent untreated sewage entering the river, 62 sewage treatment plants are planned along the stretch and two point five tmcft of Godavari water will be diverted to maintain river levels. Phase one will also include river cleaning, slope stabilisation and construction of a four-lane road on one bank and a two-lane road on the other, marking a long-term effort to restore the river and create a public space that blends environmental restoration with cultural heritage.