The long road to a water-secure future in Hyderabad

Every January, conscionable aft the Sankranthi cheer ebbs, residents of the Czech Colony successful Sanathnagar, Hyderabad, brace for an yearly test, watching their h2o taps a small much closely. The borewell serving their 40-flat flat inactive runs doubly a day, but not for long. Its output starts thinning, and wrong a month, determination is thing near to draw. What follows is simply a acquainted routine: they indispensable beryllium connected h2o tankers, repeatedly checking the HMWS&SB app, tracking a dilatory crawl up the waiting list.

That ritual, however, has softly ended. T. Srinivas, a subordinate of the flat association, says the turning constituent came with the operation of an injection borewell. The alteration was immediate. “Our borewell improved and a fewer adjacent apartments that opted for percolation pits saw a quality too.”

He details the consultations that went into the project, the pit postulation system, yearly rainwater estimates and however the involution eased mundane beingness successful the building.

Experiences specified arsenic this are shaping a broader rethink of h2o usage and conservation crossed Hyderabad. At Kavuri Hills, successful the upscale Kakatiya Hills residential colony, a 16-flat flat analyzable built connected a 1,000-square gait crippled besides constructed an injection borewell with method assistance from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and WaterAid, an NGO facilitating specified projects done firm societal work funds successful prime localities.

Suneel, an IT nonrecreational and nonmigratory of the apartment, recalls however the building’s mandated rainwater harvesting operation was erstwhile ignored. “We were blessed with water. During monsoon, the borewell would overflow, and we would flush excess h2o retired of the cellar done a hose,” helium says.

That consciousness of abundance, however, faded rapidly arsenic operation enactment surged successful the neighbourhood. Between January and May this year, the flat analyzable purchased 2 10-kilolitre h2o tankers a time for the archetypal time, paying astir ₹1,000 per load, often with immoderate waiting period. “We got astir 100 tankers,” says Suneel, his eyebrows raised.

The effect came successful the signifier of a 200-foot injection borewell. Built with a publication of conscionable ₹20,000 from residents, it has the capableness to harvest astir 509 cubic metres, oregon 5.09 lakh litres, of rainwater annually.

According to HMWS&SB managing manager K. Ashok Reddy, gathering injection borewells and harvesting pits is simply a cardinal absorption country for the Board. He precocious grabbed headlines by stating, “If each location has a rainwater harvesting (RWH) pit, the metropolis whitethorn not adjacent request Krishna Phase IV for the 5 tmcft further h2o supply”.

Yet, occurrence stories similar Czech Colony and Kavuri Hills stay exceptions successful a metropolis arsenic ample arsenic Hyderabad. They connection a glimpse of the possibilities but bash not seizure the afloat picture.

A metropolis that cannot clasp its rain

Hyderabad receives an yearly rainfall of 700-900 mm. But successful 2025, it recorded astir 1,060 mm betwixt June and December alone, astir 40% supra normal, according to the Telangana State Development Planning Society.

But the metropolis sits connected crystalline formations specified arsenic granite, gneiss and compact basalt, which person precise debased permeability. As a result, groundwater retention depends wholly connected fractures, joints, and weathered zones wrong these rocks. Even successful a twelvemonth of excess rainfall, Hyderabad failed to clasp overmuch of it. The lack of harvesting pits and postulation systems meant runoff rushed into drains, flowed into the Musi river, and yet discharged into the Krishna stream via Nalgonda district.

The result? Growing dependence connected h2o tankers and heavy borewells. Hyderabad is present the astir groundwater-extracting territory successful the State. With extraction exceeding 100% of recharge, the metropolis is classified arsenic some ‘over-exploited’ and ‘critical’. The unit extends to Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, which unneurotic signifier the contiguous Greater Hyderabad region, arsenic good arsenic neighbouring Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri. By contrast, Telangana arsenic a full is successful a comparatively amended position, with an yearly groundwater recharge of 20.4 cardinal cubic metres and mean extraction of 45.91%, according to the Central Ground Water Board’s Groundwater Resource Assessment 2024.

To recognize wherefore lone 42,784 residents successful Hyderabad, those successful households measuring much than 300 sq. metres, often publication h2o tankers, HMWS&SB conducted a citywide survey successful 2024. It recovered that 17,382 of these households either lacked an RWH pit oregon had borewells that had dried up. Others had pits but did not usage them. Advisory notices were issued, but compliance remained limited. Broadly, Hyderabad’s h2o accent tin beryllium traced to these tens of thousands of properties, compounded by accelerated municipality enlargement that stretches the Board’s reach.

Parallelly, HMWS&SB launched different survey of borewells installed by the Board and different civic authorities successful nationalist offices and assemblage spaces. Eighteen NGOs advocating h2o conservation were roped successful for the exercise. So far, 3,435 surveys person identified 8,285 borewells, of which 4,569 are non-functional. These would present beryllium converted into injection borewells.

Separately, a survey nether Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, an inaugural aimed astatine constructing 1 cardinal recharge structures nationwide, began connected December 7 this year. Preliminary findings amusement 7,043 users already person rainwater harvesting structures. These volition beryllium linked to the Board’s unsocial Customer Account Number (CAN). The survey is ongoing.

When h2o becomes a commodity

If sustainability is simply a semipermanent pursuit, tanker proviso is an contiguous contention against time. From February to May, the spread betwixt booking and transportation often determines whether Hyderabad edges towards a h2o emergency.

The summertime of 2024 was a turning point. HMWS&SB expanded its tanker fleet from 604 to 1,000 astir overnight arsenic bookings surged to an mean of 2,000 a day. Demand was concentrated successful occidental and north-western maturation corridors — Manikonda, Gachibowli, Kondapur, Madhapur, Kukatpally, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills.

In April 2024, Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) M.Dana Kishore acknowledged a abrupt drying up of borewells successful occidental Hyderabad and a shortage of tankers, drivers and filling points, portion maintaining that the metropolis was not successful the grip of a h2o crisis.

Under the Board’s work level agreement, tankers are to beryllium delivered wrong 24 hours. But successful highest summers, the people was reduced to 12 hours oregon less, with round-the-clock deliveries. Filling stations and points were expanded, and adjacent tanker-filling designs were improvised specified arsenic azygous filler-to-T-joint pipes that could load 2 tankers simultaneously. Currently, the Board operates 1,150 tankers, supported by 90 filling stations and 150 filling points crossed the city.

Data connected tanker deliveries betwixt January and July implicit 5 years, from 2021 to 2025, shows a dependable year-on-year increase, mirroring falling groundwater levels and the gait of Hyderabad’s municipality expansion.

The escalation is stark. Peak deliveries successful April roseate from 85,880 tanker trips successful 2021 to 2,90,180 successful 2025, an exponential 238% jump. Even January, erstwhile considered a comparatively unchangeable month, saw a 127% rise, from 52,778 trips successful 2021 to 1,19,752 this year.

The opposition is disposable year-on-year. Between 2024 and 2025, tanker trips successful February and March climbed by a dependable 58%. April registered a further 22% increase, marking the highest monthly tanker question successful the Board’s past — 2,90,180 trips — followed by 2,77,415 successful June.

The large push

In this context, HMWS&SB’s caller announcement marks a decisive displacement successful Hyderabad’s groundwater conservation strategy. As portion of its 100-day enactment plan, the Board plans to conception 15,000 RWH pits crossed Greater Hyderabad, extending up to the Outer Ring Road.

While rainwater harvesting structures are mandated for each houses measuring 200 quadrate yards, the request volition present beryllium enforced strictly for properties of 300 quadrate yards and above.

The Board has besides secured support from the School Education Department to physique rainwater harvesting structures successful 1,200 authorities schoolhouse premises crossed Hyderabad and neighbouring districts.

Reiterating the larger ambition, Mr.Ashok Reddy says the metropolis could bash without Krishna Phase IV if it creates 50,000 rainwater harvesting structures implicit the adjacent 3 years. “Yes, that’s my slogan. Why should Hyderabad’s h2o flood into the Musi and Krishna rivers, lone to beryllium pumped backmost into the city,” helium argues.

He explains that the projected task would necessitate an outlay of ₹3,000 crore, with recurring yearly operations and attraction expenses of ₹20 crore. By comparison, investing ₹100 crore successful rainwater harvesting structures would beryllium acold much businesslike and sustainable, and could adjacent assistance cheque municipality flooding.

A cardinal constituent of the program is converting dried-up borewells successful nationalist spaces crossed the metropolis into injection borewells. For the contiguous operation of 700 RWH pits, the Board has already floated a tender.

HMWS&SB’s propulsion for rainwater conservation is not new. Over the past decade, it has taken aggregate forms, with mixed outcomes. A akin 100-day enactment program was rolled retired successful May 2016, during which 2,200 rainwater harvesting structures were built successful communal nationalist spaces. The effort, however, fell abbreviated implicit clip arsenic nonmigratory payment associations failed to support the structures.

This was followed by the motorboat of Jalabhagyam successful 2017 and Jala Jeevam successful 2018. These programmes empanelled NGOs to amended residents connected rainwater harvesting, attraction practices and method aspects. Jala Jeevam went further by making RWH structures mandatory for each households, expanding NGO engagement and constituting an adept committee connected rainwater conservation.

Moreover, 1,600 Jalavaarasathvam clubs were formed, involving grandparents and children, on with nonmigratory payment associations and self-help groups, to revive a civilization of h2o conservation. That aforesaid year, the Board developed a Rainwater Harvesting Theme Park connected Road No. 51 successful Jubilee Hills, showcasing astir 40 h2o conservation interventions. The installation remains operational and is escaped for nationalist use.

Another initiative, Water Leadership and Conservation, was launched successful 2019 arsenic a Sanathnagar-specific programme aimed astatine driving behavioural alteration and reducing h2o wastage.

Government argumentation and intent, however, person not afloat translated into progressive nationalist participation. The information reflects this gap. In 2025, mean request for h2o tankers roseate by 36.37% implicit 2024, portion year-on-year projections estimation a further 22% increase. On rainwater harvesting, the Board continues to contented advisory notices to non-compliant properties nether provisions of the Water, Land and Trees (WALTA) Act.

The missing link?

What stands successful the way, officials argue, is mindset. “The cognition is: I tin wage for water, usage power to get a tanker adjacent successful summer, and lavation my luxury car with piped water. This is 100% literacy with ignorance and deficiency of communal consciousness to usage a constricted assets wisely,” says T. Sharath Reddy, Deputy General Manager (Engineering), HMWS&SB, 1 of the 2 elder officers supervising Durgam Cheruvu, a precocious h2o tanker-dependent division.

Jala Satyanarayana, Assistant Director (Rainwater Harvesting), HMWS&SB, whose telephone fig features connected notices issued to households without RWH structures, recounts the responses helium receives. “Some adjacent threatened me, reasoning it was a ineligible notice. I explain, sojourn their premises, and assistance plan the structure. They bash recognize and privation to physique one. But, successful general, radical worth h2o lone erstwhile they acquisition scarcity.”

For Kalpana Ramesh, designer-environmentalist and laminitis of The Rainwater Project, the missing portion is assemblage ownership. Even well-crafted policies, she argues, neglect without section engagement and upkeep.

“How galore tin accidental they cod rainwater and are not contributing to municipality flooding? How galore would prioritise an RWH pit implicit interior design? How galore talk of duties, not conscionable rights? The cardinal is corporate stewardship, wherever everyone is liable and collaborative,” she says.

According to officials, wherever nonmigratory payment associations and NGOs are active, a premix of awareness, assemblage involvement, and what Kalpana Ramesh calls “penalties and harsher action” tin enactment arsenic effectual deterrents.

However, societal responsibility lines complicate conservation efforts. In Malkajgiri, V. Sushmitha, a schoolteacher surviving successful a 16-unit flat complex, points to a communal obstacle. “There is simply a deficiency of unity among residents,” she says. “Tenants don’t privation to get involved, owners unrecorded elsewhere and cipher wants to bother. The abstraction meant for RWH gets converted to parking. Any treatment leads to petty quarrels — and idiosyncratic egos.”

(Names of the residents person been changed to support privacy)