 The storage capacity of the reservoir is 2.9 tmc ft.The construction of reservoirs on the Esi, a tributary of the Musi River, was completed in 1927, with the intention of providing drinking water source for Hyderabad and protecting 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.