Hyderabad Is Caught In A Groundwater Crisis

[First published in YouthKiAwaaz] Step out of your house in Hyderabad, and you are sure to encounter a water tanker. Those behemoths with dripping pipes are everywhere this summer- waiting next to you at a traffic signal, blocking the gate through which you exit your apartment, trying desperately to manoeuvre themselves into narrow lanes. Clearly Hyderabad is in the middle of a full-blown water crisis this summer! Data backs it up. As per the Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2025 released by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, all 16 mandals in Hyderabad have been classified as either "critical" or "over exploited" in terms of ground water exploitation. As per the same report, 26 mandals within the Greater Hyderabad region are "critical" or "over exploited", which is the highest among the metros, and even more than large states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. How did this crisis come about, and what can be done to mitigate the damage? But, first let's look at how groundwater extraction is calculated and classified. The most common method of categorising groundwater extraction, including the one used by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, look at the percentage of the total annual extraction to the annual extractable groundwater resource. There are four categories: Safe zone, where extraction is less than 70%– at this stage the water table remains stable or shows seasonal fluctuation within reasonable limits. Semi critical zone, where extraction is between 70% and 90%– at this stage significant drawdown is noticed and extraction must be carefully monitored. However, there is no immediate cause for alarm. Critical zone, where extraction is between 90% and 100%– at this stage ground water aquifers are in danger of depletion and commercial extraction is carefully regulated with strict penalties for non conformation. Over-exploited zone, where extraction is above 100%– at this stage, the groundwater extraction is unsustainable and there must be an embargo on all further borewells, and immediate measures need to be implemented for reducing the water extracted and for recharging the water table. If all 16 mandals in Hyderabad city are in the "critical" or "over exploited" zone, then this is clearly an emergency situation, and immediate measures need to be taken to manage and mitigate the damange. How did the situation in Hyderabad get so bad? Hyderabad is among the fastest growing urban areas in the country, with the population growing from roughly 7 million in 2006 to over 11.6 million in 2026. This growth of nearly 65% has been largely driven by the IT and BioTech boom, and has been accompanied by rapid urbanisation and development of commercial and residential infrastructure. This rampant urbanisation, combined with insufficient planning and regulation, has resulted in both unregulated extraction of groundwater, and insufficient recharge of groundwater aquifers. Uncontrolled extraction by unregulated borewells As the city continued to grow, this growth has been accompanied by the unregulated and illegal digging of borewells. While the city officially has 2.5 lakh borewells, unofficial sources estimate the number to be closer to 10 lakhs. The Water, Trees and Land Act (WALTA), 2002 restricts borewell digging to a depth of 400 feet, but officials say that drilling rigs often go down to depths of upto 1,000 feet. All this has led to a depletion of groundwater aquifers, and the average water table has plunged sharply in many areas. This is causing borewells to dry up in summer, and leading to the dependence on water from water tankers. The problem is compounded by poor recharge of groundwater.  The rapid urbanisation across Hyderabad has resulted in heavy concretisation and paving of open spaces, which prevents rainwater from percolating down and replenishing groundwater aquifers- the rainwater first causes flooding and is then removed through storm water drains as surface runoff. While it is mandatory for new constructions to incorporate rainwater harvesting, it is estimated that less than 15% of the city has rainwater harvesting pits. Even in years of good monsoon, most of the rainwater isn't diverted into recharging groundwater aquifers. Many communities have also repurposed soak pits for parking or landscaped areas, which further reduces the amount of rainwater that diverted to groundwater aquifers. Further, in Hyderabad natural lakes, tanks and other water bodies have been encroached upon or built over, which has further eliminated critical water percolation zones. Natural drainage channels have also been indiscriminately built upon, which both increases flooding in the city and decreases recharge of groundwater aquifers. Due to a combination of poor enforcement and apathy, Hyderabad has, therefore, reached stage where there is uncontrolled extraction of groundwater and insufficient recharging of groundwater aquifers leading the city to the brink of a water catastrophe. The Water Crisis is compounded by the apathy of the Government At a time when the city is going through a massive groundwater crisis, the Government continues to peruse "development" projects which will drastically reduce the natural open spaces which play a vital role in recharging the groundwater aquifers. The proposed H-Citi Project will choke the KBR National Park within a grid of flyovers and underpasses, thereby reducing tree cover and replacing porous spaces with concrete. Similarly the proposed Musi River Development project will restrain the river within concrete boundaries which will drastically reduce the ability to divert rainwater into the groundwater aquifers. Both projects will also involve large scale felling of trees, which will reduce the amount of rainwater that is productively channeled into recharging aquifers. Neither of these projects should be taken up without a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment that specifically looks at the impact of each of the projects on the replenishment of the groundwater aquifers. Are there any sustainable solutions to manage the Water Crisis? Currently, Hyderabad is surviving on water brought in from outside the city. This, however, is not a sustainable solution. Mitigating the water crisis would require a twin pronged approach- regulate the extraction of groundwater and increase recharge. Some of the steps that should be implemented immediately are: 1. Mandatory Rainwater Harvesting in all large buildings, residential colonies and office complexes with large fines for non- compliance. 2. Levying financial penalties on building complexes that divert rainwater into storm water drains instead of into recharge pits. 3. Ensuring decentralised sewage treatment plants across the city to ensure that grey water is treated and used for landscaping and industrial purposes instead of being diverted into drains. 4. Ensuring proper aquifer management by moving from the ad hoc extraction of groundwater to a community driven watershed based approach to managing water. 5. Ensuring that all natural spaces, including lakes, waterbodies and parks are left untouched. 6. Creating non concretised spaces to ensure that natural drainage channels are not disturbed and the area available for natural seepage of rainwater is optimised. 7. Embargo on all large scale infrastructure projects which might adversely affect the recharge of groundwater aquifers. None of these measures are particularly hard to implement, as long as the intent to do so is there. The Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2025 provides the data to support what we are already experiencing- that Hyderabad is on the brink of a Water Crisis and that we need to take urgent action to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. If Hyderabad is to retain its preeminent place as a city that people aspire to move to, immediate steps have to taken to ensure that the city has enough water to drink.