Hyderabad Zoo to set up Singapore-model tunnel-like aquarium

Indian Express

13-06-2025

Hyderabad's Nehru Zoological Park, which boasts being the country's oldest and with the largest and most diverse animal collection, is gearing up for a new attraction – one of the largest aquariums akin to the famous one in Singapore.
An underwater tunnel will take a visitor through the massive aquarium that will have the capacity to hold 3 million litres of water, showcasing diverse marine aquatic life, ranging from sharks to exotic fishes.
Sources said the authorities are trying to reach out to marine aquarium specialist firms from Singapore and Australia for investment to build the grand, modern, and immersive tunnel-like aquarium on the one-acre land parcel identified behind the existing aquarium.
The zoo authorities have received approval from the Zoo Board and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) for the Rs 50-crore project. 'We are preparing a proposal for approval from the Central Zoo Authority. It will be worked out in a public-private partnership as zoos cannot afford the investment. We have a land and since it(aquarium) has a high potential for visitors, we thought of inviting investors on a revenue-sharing model,' Sunil S Hiremath told indianexpress.com.
It all started a month ago as part of the master plan revision, he added.
The zoo authorities have envisaged the project in such a way as to make it an educational and interactive experience for visitors through advanced augmented reality or virtual reality equipment. Currently, officials have studied the Aquatic Gallery in Science City, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), one of the largest in the country, for inspiration.
'The cost of the aquarium would depend on the investor and vendor. We are estimating about Rs 50 crore and hope to operationalise the new aquarium by the end of 2026. We may not become the largest in the country but we wish to offer a world-class experience. The plans are in a very nascent stage,' Hiremath added.
Authorities said the nature of the aquarium will be decided based on educational, awareness, and entertainment purposes.
For instance, aquariums act as a powerful educational tool by raising awareness on the impacts of increasing carbon emissions, sea pollution, water pollution, and declining aquatic species.
'For Nehru Zoo, our preliminary study shows that the optimum-sized aquarium will be an important addition to the modernisation programme currently undertaken. The research shows that the recently built India's largest modern aquarium in Gujarat Science City is running very successfully and has attracted around 10,00,000 visitors annually,' said a source.
A modern aquarium would ideally feature an underwater tunnel aquarium exhibit – exhibiting marine water large and medium-sized exotic species, marine water smaller exhibits of various sizes, fresh water and brackish water exhibits, he added.
Located in the older part of Hyderabad, the Nehru Zoological Park houses nearly 2,300 animals, and 194 bird species.