Hyderabad: The Core Urban Region (CURE) is faced with a severe water crisis, with nearly 70% of its annual groundwater resources already extracted, according to the latest India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES) assessment for 2025-26.IN-GRES is a platform developed by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) that analyses key groundwater metrics at the state and central levelThe assessment shows that CURE, comprising Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, has extracted around 48,000 hectare-metres (ham) of groundwater against its annual groundwater resource of 72,000 ham.The situation is particularly alarming in Hyderabad district, which has already exhausted its annual groundwater resources and is relying on over-extraction to meet its water demand. The district has 15 of its 16 groundwater assessment units classified as critical or over-exploited. Medchal-Malkajgiri has seven such units, Rangareddy has four, and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri has five.8 pockets over-exploitedIn Hyderabad, Amberpet, Ameerpet, Asifnagar, Charminar, Golconda, Himayatnagar, Khairatabad and Saidabad are classified as over-exploited. Bahadurpura, Bandlaguda, Maredpally, Musheerabad, Nampally, Secunderabad and Shaikpet fall under the critical category.The situation has only deteriorated over the past year. In 2024-25, 11 assessment units in Hyderabad were classified as critical or over-exploited. The latest assessment puts the number at 15 with groundwater stress having spread to four additional units.“Groundwater extraction for residential, commercial and industrial purposes is rampant in Hyderabad. When extraction reaches 90% to 100% of the annual extractable groundwater resource, an assessment unit is classified as critical. If extraction exceeds 100%, it is categorised as over-exploited, indicating that groundwater is being withdrawn faster than the available annual resource can be replenished,” said an official in Telangana groundwater department.Low municipal supplyExperts point out that inadequate municipal water supply has pushed households, commercial establishments and industries to increasingly rely on groundwater. Municipal water meets only around 30% of the city’s water demand, with groundwater making up much of the remaining requirement, they said.“In areas such as Jubilee Hills, Kokapet and other western Hyderabad suburbs, residents have reportedly drilled borewells to depths of up to 3,000 feet. Some residential communities are also using high-powered borewells during construction, equipment typically associated with heavy-duty extraction requirements in industries,”said Donthi Narasimha Reddy, environmentalist and water management expert.1/3rd of T’s population, just 3% of groundwater resourcesThe scale of the crisis becomes clearer when the region’s groundwater availability is compared with its population. Despite accounting for nearly one-third of Telangana’s population within an area of about 2,000 sq km, the Hyderabad metropolitan region has access to only around 3% of the state’s total annual groundwater resources.Telangana has annual extractable groundwater resources of about 21 lakh ham, of which CURE accounts for just 72,000 ham. The disparity between the region’s population concentration and its limited groundwater resources raises concerns over the sustainability of its growing dependence on borewells, says experts.Concretisation, poor recharge add to stressExperts also highlight that the challenge is not merely the volume of groundwater extracted but also the limited capacity of urban areas to replenish their aquifers. Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri have some of the lowest groundwater reserves in Telangana despite being among the state’s most densely populated districts.According to them, rapid urbanisation and extensive concretisation have reduced open spaces through which rainwater can seep into the ground and replenish groundwater reserves. The loss of permeable surfaces, coupled with inadequate implementation of rainwater harvesting systems, has weakened the region’s natural recharge capacity.“Hyderabad faces a geological disadvantage, as much of the city is situated on hard rocky terrain, making groundwater recharge dependent on suitable weathered and fractured rock formations and the availability of pathways for rainwater to percolate. The situation has been compounded by poor rainfall, which, along with urbanisation and inadequate recharge measures, has further strained groundwater resources,” said B Venkateswara Rao, retired professor, Centre for Water Resources, JNTUH.Crisis extends beyond HydThe pressure is not confined to the capital. Across Telangana, nearly 50% of the state’s annual groundwater resources have been utilised, highlighting the growing demand on aquifers beyond the rapidly urbanising Hyderabad region.The 2025-26 assessment lists 23 units as over-exploited and 19 as critical among the 620 units or blocks in Telangana. Another 105 units are classified as semi-critical, indicating that groundwater stress extends well beyond areas already facing the most severe pressure.
