Hyderabad, Oct 22 (IANS): With Hyderabad witnessing one of the worst floods in its history, the city's Mayor and Deputy Mayor on Wednesday offered prayers to calm Musi River.

Mayor Bonthu Rammohan performed various rituals at Gangamma temple at Puranapul across Musi River, praying for divine intervention to save the city from the natural calamity.

Deputy Mayor Baba Fasihuddin also offered a 'chadar' at Musa Qadri dargah near Puranapul.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor ,along with Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, offered the prayers at a time when Musi is in spate after several years.

According to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the prayers were offered as a tradition.

Following the Musi floods of September 1908, which had caused massive destruction, then ruler of Hyderabad State Mir Mahboob Ali Khan had conducted the prayers at the same temple and dargah.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor also offered "palaabhishekham" at a tamarind tree which had saved the lives of 200 people during 1908 floods.

The great deluge of September 20, 1908 had claimed 15,000 lives.

The Mayor also felicitated the personnel of GHMC monsoon emergency teams, Disaster Response Force (DRF) and police for rescuing several people during the recent floods.

Rammohan said after 112 years, Hyderabad witnessed heaviest rainfall and floods. He said that te GHMC had taken steps to restore normalcy in the city.

The Mayor claimed that GHMC officials aided thousands of people. He assured that the government will extend all assistance to the flood-affected people.