Hyd's east & northeast pockets join west in groundwater crisis
Hyderabad: What began in the west is now hitting the east and northeast — Hyderabad's groundwater crisis is deepening citywide, driven by unchecked construction and over-extraction.
Areas like Malkajgiri, Trimulgherry, Uppal, and Saroornagar are witnessing alarming depletion of water tables, despite receiving excess rainfall between June 2024 and April 2025. According to the groundwater department, Malkajgiri recorded the lowest average depth to water level (DTWL) among all 46 mandals in Greater Hyderabad in April — 25.02 metres — surpassing even severely affected western pockets like Kukatpally and Ramachandrapuram. This sharp decline has triggered a spike in water tanker demand, with nearly 10,000 tankers booked daily in April alone.The drop has been steep and sudden. Malkajgiri's groundwater level fell from 18.78 metres in March to 25.02 metres in April — a decline of 6.3 metres in just one month. In Trimulgherry, another densely populated northeastern locality, the depth nearly doubled year-on-year, falling from 7.99 metres in April 2024 to 17.58 metres this year. Similar patterns are seen across eastern Hyderabad. In Ibrahimpatnam, for instance, groundwater levels dropped to 19.26 metres in April, compared to 10.71 metres in March. Other mandals such as Uppal, Medipally, and Saroornagar now report water tables between 15 and 20 metres deep. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) are raising concerns over the dried-up water bodies. "The Ramakrishnapuram lake, which once spanned 30 acres and recharged our groundwater, has dried up. So has the nearby Kapra lake. Rampant construction and encroachments over the past four years have devastated these natural resources," said BT Srinivasan, general secretary of the United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations. Officials from the groundwater department attribute the crisis to unchecked extraction and rampant urbanisation. In Hayathnagar, for example, 135% of the annual extractable groundwater has already been used — 426 hectare-metres (ha.m) extracted against a sustainable limit of 326 ha.m. Saroornagar has also crossed the red line, with 117% groundwater exploitation. "Lakhs of borewells have sprung up across eastern Hyderabad, drastically reducing groundwater levels. To make matters worse, increasing concrete surfaces are blocking natural percolation," said K Laxma, director of the groundwater department. "The solution lies in promoting rainwater harvesting pits and recharge borewells across new and existing developments."
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