Hyderabad could face a drinking-water shortfall of up to 50 million gallons per day (MGD) during the summer after the city’s Singur and Manjeera sources are projected to lose around 100 MGD between January and August, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has said.
HMWSSB Managing Director K Ashok Reddy said the projected deficit was linked to reduced rainfall attributed to El Niño and falling storage levels in the Singur and Manjeera reservoirs. He was speaking at the launch of the Paani App on Thursday.
The city is currently receiving between 560 MGD and 570 MGD of water daily, according to Ashok Reddy. However, declining groundwater levels have increased reliance on private and government water tankers, adding pressure to the formal supply network.
To address the expected gap, the water board is planning to draw an additional 60 MGD from the Godavari, Krishna and Osman Sagar sources. Even after these supplies are added, HMWSSB expects that a deficit of between 40 MGD and 50 MGD could remain.
The remaining shortfall could affect nearly three lakh water connections across an area extending from Patancheru to Narsingi. The affected locations include rapidly expanding parts of Hyderabad where demand has risen alongside residential and commercial development, although the supplied report does not specify how individual neighbourhoods will be prioritised if supplies tighten.
Ashok Reddy said an emergency action plan had been submitted to the state government. The report does not provide details of the plan’s proposed tanker deployment, rationing measures, source-wise allocation or implementation timeline.
The warning also came as Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar launched the Paani App, through which citizens can alert HMWSSB officials about water misuse. The water board has also invited residents to register as water volunteers through its official website.
The projected deficit places the performance of Hyderabad’s multi-source water network under pressure before the summer demand period begins. The immediate milestones are the government’s consideration of the emergency action plan and HMWSSB’s efforts to secure the additional 60 MGD from the Godavari, Krishna and Osman Sagar sources.
