Hyderabad Recalls Tamarind Tree That Save 150 People

The programme was organised by the Forum for a Better Hyderabad (FBH) to recall the devastating Musi floods, which hit Hyderabad on September 28, 1908. The floods were one of the most consequential natural disasters in the history of Hyderabad.

Vedakumar M, chairman, FBH, recalled the historical importance of the Tamarind Tree, where 150 flood survivors reportedly found refuge during the catastrophe. According to the accounts, Nizam VI, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan Pasha, personally proceeded to the flood-affected areas and made arrangements for survivors, he said.

The book ‘Eyewitness Accounts Of The Musi River Floods Of 1908’, authored by historian Dr. Satyanarayana Dyavanapalli, was released. He said that to understand the history of Hyderabad and its subsequent development, it is essential to study the Musi floods of 1908 and the development paradigms that followed under the Nizams and thereafter. The floods profoundly influenced Hyderabad’s approach to urban planning, water management, public health and sanitation.

Vedakumar described the book as the one that brought together valuable eyewitness accounts of the disaster. He remarked that rather than reading a hundred books to understand the 1908 floods, one can read this single book, because it is based on eyewitness accounts and preserves the experiences of people who actually witnessed the catastrophe.