Hyderabad groundwater plunges to 11.10 m below ground level

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s groundwater table has plummeted to an alarming average depth of 11.10 metres Below Ground Level (m bgl) this monsoon, down sharply from last year’s baseline of 4.80 m bgl.

Groundwater levels in Hyderabad district’s 16 mandals ranged from 1.20 m bgl at Aliabad in Bandlaguda mandal to 35.74 metres at Greenlands in Ameerpet, according to the Groundwater Department’s latest report.

The sharp decline sparked fears that the city’s groundwater could be further depleted in the coming days. The resulting severe shortage has forced residents to dig more than twice as deep for water.

“Groundwater level fluctuations ranged from a minimum fall of 0.52 metres at Nallakunta to a maximum fall of -25.44 metres at Golconda, marking it as the absolute hardest-hit zone in the city,” according to the Ground Water Department’s report.

A city-based environmentalist said that uncontrolled commercial borewell extraction has disrupted natural underground aquifer recharge cycles in Hyderabad, causing water tables to fall significantly during a season traditionally relied on for replenishment. The decline has raised immediate concerns over dry borewells, growing dependence on private water tankers, and strains on utilities during the coming summer.

Hyderabad district recorded 488.3 mm rainfall in October 2026 against the normal 741.1 mm, with the report stating a deficit of -34 mm of rainfall. The Groundwater Department’s data reveals an alarming divide across the city, with the crisis heavily localised according to infrastructure density and groundwater extraction pressure, said a senior GWD official.

Incidentally, each of Hyderabad district’s 16 mandals clocked a rainfall deficit this monsoon. Tirumalagiri recorded the city’s highest rainfall deficit at 45%, while Saidabad registered a 44% shortfall in the final stretch.

In the extreme trend (-37% to -41%), rainfall deficits reached 37% in Amberpet, 39% each in Marredpally and Bandlaguda, 40% in Nampally, and 41% in Charminar area. Major residential and commercial hubs recorded substantial rainfall deficits, with Ameerpet at 30%, Himayatnagar at 31%, Asifnagar at 32%, and Khairatabad at 34% below normal.

Hyderabad’s 10 worst-hit rainfall deficit Mandals:

Tirumalagiri : -45%

Saidabad: -44%

Charminar: -41%

Nampally: -40%

Marredpally: -39%

Bandlaguda: -39%

Amberpet: -37%

Khairatabad: -34%

Asifnagar: -32%

Himayathnagar: -31%