Hyderabad is facing a 150 million gallons per day (MGD) water-supply shortfall, with depleted groundwater, sparse monsoon rainfall and stressed reservoirs leaving taps, sumps and borewells dry across parts of the metropolitan region, Telangana Today reported on October 12.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is currently supplying 585 MGD to the CURE area, while population projections indicate that 735 MGD is required for around 1.3 crore people, a senior HMWSSB official told the publication. CURE, or the Core Urban Region Economy, covers the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation areas.
The water board’s jurisdiction now extends across 2,053 square kilometres following the trifurcation of the erstwhile GHMC. The expanded service area includes Hyderabad’s rapidly developed peripheral sectors, placing additional pressure on a network that the report says is already affected by strained storage capacity, legacy pipelines and population growth.
Groundwater stress is intensifying the supply problem. Borewells in several information technology corridors and peripheral residential areas that earlier yielded water at depths of about 300 feet are reportedly running dry even after drilling to 800-1,000 feet. The decline has increased dependence on private water tankers, particularly in areas where municipal supply is insufficient or irregular.
Reservoir data cited in the report shows that HMWSSB is drawing 23 MGD from Osman Sagar against a planned 27 MGD, 14 MGD from Himayat Sagar against 18 MGD, 71 MGD from Singur against 75 MGD and 44 MGD from Manjeera against 45 MGD. The reported draw from Krishna water supplied through Akkampally is 270 MGD, while Godavari water from Yellampalli accounts for 162 MGD. The total planned draw is 597 MGD, compared with 584 MGD currently drawn in the listed reservoir breakdown.
The figures indicate that Hyderabad’s supply system is relying heavily on inter-basin and regional water sources. The report also says the city’s key drinking-water reservoirs are steadily depleting after deficient monsoon rainfall, raising concern within HMWSSB about maintaining supplies through the winter.
The CURE area has 14,59,608 consumers, including domestic users, non-domestic establishments, bulk commercial consumers and industries. Against this broad service base, the reported average per-capita supply for Hyderabad is 150 litres per capita per day (LPCD), higher than Bengaluru’s 108 LPCD and Chennai’s 135 LPCD, but below Delhi’s 172 LPCD.
HMWSSB officials have identified bridging the 150 MGD gap as the board’s highest operational priority. According to the report, the response will include infrastructure upgrades, revised water-distribution strategies and long-term supply projects intended to secure water for the expanded metropolitan area. The board is also monitoring reservoir levels as it addresses the immediate deficit and the continuing decline in groundwater availability.
