A Necklace of Water called 'Mir Alam Tank' In Hyderabad

Most people and tourists are familiar with India’s Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and with good reason. It is, after all, the largest zoo in India, with a wide selection of animals; nearly 1,500 species of birds, reptiles, and animals are housed there. It also has a museum of natural history, elephant rides, and children’s train. Also, the safari trips it runs daily are pretty much popular for everyone. 

It is understandable, then, if visitors are not able to notice another tourist attraction in the area, but it would really be a shame when they do. After all, the Mir Alam Tank has contributed incessantly to the city for the past 200-odd years since it was built; it has provided drinking water to the people of Hyderabad for 125 years before both Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs were finally built. During that time, waters coming from Mir Alam Tank were said to be so sweet and pure that people who have tasted it were said to have carried containers of it whenever they went out of Hyderabad.

The Mir Alam Tank in Hyderabad, is a fine piece of engineering with a mile-long bund containing 21 arches which resemble a beautiful necklace when seen from the sky. The lake holds 20.7 sq. km (8 square miles) of water. The tank was built by French engineers. 

It was named after Mir Alam Bahadur (Syed Abdul Khasim), the then Prime Minister (1804 - 1808) of Hyderabad state during the reign of Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III, the third Nizam of Hyderabad state. Mir Alam was among those who led the Nizam's forces in the battle against Tipu Sultan. It was from the share of the treasure he got from Srirangapatnam that he built the tank.

The Mir Alam Tank is located 16 kilometers away from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, and is just adjacent to the Nehru Zoological Park so getting there is just as easy as stopping by the zoo. It was built by the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad state Mir Alam Bahadur, during the reign of the third Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander Jah Asif Jah III. Mir Alam himself laid the foundation for the construction of the tank on July 20, 1804. The whole project was completed almost two years later, on June 8, 1806. 

The engineering that went with the construction of the tank is truly something to be appreciated: a mile long bund is formed with 21 semi-circular arches, giving the whole thing a really majestic look. An interesting tidbit in its planning was that Michel Joachim Marie Raymond, the Frenchman to whom Hyderabad’s Raymond Tomb was dedicated, was also said to be involved in its planning.

Mir Alam Tank is located adjacent to Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad. It was named after Mir Alam Bahadur, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad kingdom. The foundation stone to this lake was laid in 1804 and it was completed in two years. It has provided drinking water to Hyderabad people for 125 years before the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were built.

Mir Alam Tank was the part of a large network of 21 lakes that formed the Mir Alam Watershed. Of this about 8 lakes are missing now.

In its heydays, Mir Alam Tank’s water was so sweet that people used to carry it in containers. Now, the lake is reduced to a cess pool. Even its extent has shrunk by more than half.