NEW DELHI: India's groundwater crisis is intensifying, with several regions facing severe depletion, drinking water shortages, and contamination. According to the Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2025 released by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Hyderabad has emerged as the worst-affected metropolitan region for groundwater depletion, surpassing larger cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
Hyderabad's Groundwater Crisis
The report identifies 26 mandals and tehsils across Greater Hyderabad, including areas in Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, as either "critical" or "over-exploited" due to excessive groundwater extraction. This is the highest number among all Indian metros. Delhi, with a population of around 3.3 crore, has 21 such units, while Bengaluru has 16. The concentration of groundwater-stressed zones in Greater Hyderabad exceeds that of several large states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra.
Hyderabad District: No Safe Zones
The report paints a worrying picture for Hyderabad district, where none of the 16 groundwater assessment units fall under the "safe" category. Only one unit is classified as semi-critical, while the remaining 15 are critical or over-exploited. Affected areas include Khairatabad, Ameerpet, Himayatnagar, Bachupally, Serilingampally, Hayathnagar, and Saroornagar. Under Central Ground Water Board guidelines, regions extracting less than 70% of available groundwater are considered safe, while those extracting 71-90% are semi-critical, 90-100% are critical, and over 100% are over-exploited.
Urbanization and Borewells Worsen Crisis
Officials attribute the crisis to rapid urbanization, extensive construction, and widespread borewell drilling. "Hardly 15% of the city has rainwater harvesting recharge pits. Despite annual rainfall of 900 mm to 1,000 mm, a significant portion flows into drains due to inadequate open spaces and green cover," said K Laxma, director of the Telangana Groundwater Department. He warned that groundwater levels are falling steadily, with depths reaching 20 metres or more due to poor recharge.
Geological Challenges
Hyderabad faces unique geological disadvantages. "Unlike Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, Hyderabad is largely on rocky terrain, making natural percolation difficult. In softer soil regions, rainwater seeps underground more efficiently," said B Venkateswara Rao, retired professor at JNTUH. Officials estimate around 2.5 lakh borewells in Hyderabad district, but the actual number could be much higher. Across Greater Hyderabad, borewells may number close to 10 lakh, many drilled illegally beyond the 400-foot depth limit set by the Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA), 2002.
Telangana's Growing Water Stress
Across Telangana, only 473 of 620 groundwater assessment units remain in the safe category. The rest have shifted to semi-critical, critical, or over-exploited classifications. Fluoride contamination has been detected in areas like Bachupally, Balanagar, Malkajgiri, Ghatkesar, and Medchal.
Karnataka's Drinking Water Shortages
In Karnataka, 344 villages across 58 taluks face drinking water shortages ahead of summer, according to the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department. Bengaluru South in Ramanagara district is the worst-hit, with 55 affected villages. Raichur follows with 41, while Uttara Kannada and Tumakuru report 27 and 26 villages respectively. Emergency measures include 210 villages relying on water tankers and 125 on private borewells. Overall, 99 tankers and 282 borewells have been deployed.
"Areas around Haliyal and Mundgod are worst affected due to depleting water levels and terrain challenges," said Dileesh Sasi, CEO of Uttara Kannada Zilla Panchayat. However, 11 districts have not reported shortages due to stronger infrastructure. Funding gaps remain a challenge, with only Rs 43.7 crore released from Rs 60 crore allocated for 2025-26.
Maharashtra's Marathwada Crisis
In Maharashtra's Marathwada region, water tanker deployments have crossed 400, more than doubling from 156 a month earlier. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar accounts for 259 tankers, followed by Jalna with 85. Over 1,150 private wells have been acquired for refilling. Rainfall deficiency since June 1 is nearly 23%, with Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 73%, Jalna at 62%, and Hingoli at 55%. Reservoir live storage has dropped to around 41%, and extreme temperatures of 43°C have worsened evaporation losses.
Punjab's Groundwater and Uranium Concerns
Punjab faces a "water emergency," according to Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu. Nineteen of 23 districts are classified as dark zones due to severe over-exploitation. The groundwater extraction rate is 156.36%, the highest in India, compared to the national average of 60%. Sandhu linked this to water-intensive paddy cultivation and warned that over 62% of groundwater samples contain uranium levels higher than anywhere else in the country, posing cancer risks. Groundwater levels could fall below 300 metres by 2039 if trends continue.
Government Response
Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil announced Rs 32,000 crore allocated for water conservation and revival of dark zones under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission. The "Karmabhoomi se Matrabhoomi" initiative aims to encourage NRIs and migrants to support water conservation projects, targeting one crore structures nationwide.
Growing Warning Signs
The situations in Hyderabad, Karnataka, Marathwada, and Punjab highlight the growing pressure on India's groundwater resources. Experts emphasize the need for stronger recharge measures, sustainable management, and large-scale conservation efforts to prevent the crisis from worsening.
