Hyderabad has emerged as India's worst-hit metro for groundwater depletion, surpassing even the more populous Delhi and the heavily urbanised Mumbai, according to the Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2025 released by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Critical Groundwater Zones
As many as 26 mandals and tehsils within Greater Hyderabad, including parts of Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, have been classified as "critical" or "over-exploited" in terms of groundwater extraction. This is the highest among all Indian metros. Delhi ranks a distant second with 21 such units, despite having a population of 3.3 crore, nearly three times that of Hyderabad. Bengaluru, with a population comparable to Hyderabad, has only 16 units in these categories.
The spread of "critical" and "over-exploited" groundwater zones in Greater Hyderabad is greater than that of several large states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra, each of which has fewer such units.
Classification System
Under the Central Ground Water Board classification, regions extracting less than 70% of available groundwater annually are "safe". Extraction between 71% and 90% is "semi-critical", 90% to 100% is "critical", and anything above 100% is "over-exploited".
The situation is particularly alarming in Hyderabad district, where none of the 16 units falls under the "safe" category. Only one unit is "semi-critical", while the remaining 15 are "critical" or "over-exploited". Over-exploited areas include Khairatabad, Ameerpet, Himayatnagar, Bachupally, Serilingampally, Hayathnagar, and Saroornagar.
Causes of the Crisis
Officials attribute the worsening crisis to rampant borewell drilling and rapid construction activity across Greater Hyderabad's nearly 2,000 sq km urban expanse. Excessive drilling and poor recharge are key factors.
"Hardly 15% of the city is equipped with rainwater harvesting recharge pits. Despite Hyderabad receiving annual rainfall of 900 mm to 1,000 mm, a significant portion of rainwater flows directly into drains because of inadequate open spaces and green cover for groundwater percolation," said K Laxma, director of the Telangana Groundwater Department.
He warned that indiscriminate groundwater extraction without adequate recharge measures is pushing water tables deeper every year. "If rainwater harvesting pits are properly maintained, groundwater levels can remain within 10 metres depth. In the absence of recharge practices, water levels are now falling to depths of 20 metres and beyond," Laxman said.
Comparison with Other Metros
Experts point out that cities such as Bengaluru have managed to partially contain groundwater stress by establishing thousands of percolation wells. According to estimates, a standard percolation well can help harvest more than one lakh litres of rainwater annually. In Delhi, stricter curbs on illegal groundwater extraction and improved access to piped water supply have helped the city fare relatively better than Hyderabad.
Geological Challenges
Hyderabad faces a unique geological challenge. "Unlike cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, Hyderabad is largely situated on rocky terrain, making natural rainwater percolation more difficult. In softer soil regions, rainwater seeps underground more efficiently during rainfall events, aiding groundwater recharge. The problem in Hyderabad is further aggravated by poor implementation of rainwater harvesting systems," said B Venkateswara Rao, retired professor at the Centre for Water Resources, JNTUH.
Illegal Borewells
While Hyderabad district officially has around 2.5 lakh borewells, officials estimate the actual number to be significantly higher, as many residential and commercial establishments drill borewells without obtaining approvals. Across Greater Hyderabad, the total number of borewells is estimated to be close to 10 lakh. The Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA), 2002, restricts borewell drilling beyond 400 feet. However, many drilling rigs continue to operate illegally, reaching depths of more than 1,000 feet. Authorities also accused several borewell companies of misleading consumers by claiming that water availability improves at greater depths.
Statewide Impact
The report highlights that one-fourth of Telangana has moved out of the safe groundwater category. Out of 620 groundwater assessment units across the state, 473 units (76.29%) are classified as safe, while the remaining units fall under semi-critical, critical, and over-exploited categories. Of the state's 1,05,777 sq km recharge-worthy area, 1.37% falls under over-exploited zones, 1.61% under critical, 14.48% under semi-critical, and 82.54% remains under the safe category.
Adding to the concern, fluoride contamination has now been detected in groundwater in several localities in Hyderabad, including Bachupally, Balanagar, Malkajgiri, Ghatkesar, and Medchal.
