The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (Hydraa) received 36 complaints about illegal borewells, lake encroachments and other civic issues during its Prajavani programme in Hyderabad on Monday, according to a press release issued by the agency. Commissioner AV Ranganath assigned the complaints to the officials concerned for immediate action.
Residents who attended the grievance programme at Hydraa’s Budha Bhavan premises alleged that some illegal borewell operators were extracting groundwater near lakes and selling it through tankers at night. The residents said the operators claimed that the water was meant for personal use, while allegedly diverting it for commercial sale.
The complaints also alleged that groundwater extraction was affecting the regular water supply available to households. The release did not specify the number of borewells involved, the locations of all the complaints or the quantity of water allegedly extracted.
One set of complaints concerned Thummalakunta Lake in Keesara mandal. Residents alleged that large quantities of water were being extracted from the lake area through borewells and sold. They also alleged that encroachments were taking place within the lake’s full tank level (FTL) limits.
FTL limits mark the area that can hold water when a lake reaches its designated capacity. Encroachments within these limits can affect the storage and flow of water, while unregulated groundwater extraction near water bodies can create enforcement and supply concerns. The information released by Hydraa did not establish whether the alleged borewells or encroachments had been officially confirmed.
The complaints were submitted through Prajavani, a public grievance mechanism that allows residents to bring civic and administrative issues directly to officials. Hydraa’s action now places the complaints with the concerned officials for examination and response. The agency did not announce a specific inspection schedule, enforcement action or deadline for resolving the cases.
The allegations point to the overlapping responsibilities involved in protecting Hyderabad’s water bodies and regulating groundwater use. Any action on the complaints will require officials to verify the borewells, establish whether water was being commercially extracted, examine the lake’s FTL boundaries and determine whether encroachments have occurred. Hydraa’s next steps, including field inspections and orders arising from the complaints, will determine how the cases proceed.
