Greater Hyderabad has one-third of Telangana’s population, yet uses only 3% of its groundwater resources

Hyderabad: Amid rapid urban expansion, Greater Hyderabad is facing a growing groundwater crisis. Despite accounting for nearly one-third of Telangana’s population within an area of about 2,000 sq km, the metropolitan region has access to around 3% of the state’s groundwater resources.According to the Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2025, released by the Union ministry of jal shakti, Telangana has annual extractable groundwater resources of 19.8 lakh hectare metres (Ham). In contrast, the Greater Hyderabad region, spread across Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts, has access to just about 66,000 Ham.To put the disparity in perspective, Telangana’s 33 districts average around 63,000 Ham of annual groundwater resources each. Several smaller districts such as Asifabad, Siddipet and Nagarkurnool individually possess groundwater resources comparable to Greater Hyderabad.Among all districts in the state, Hyderabad has one of the lowest annual extractable groundwater resources at just 6,100 Ham. Alarmingly, residents extracted nearly the entire available resource during 2025, leaving little room for natural replenishment and raising concerns over the long-term sustainability of groundwater reserves.Despite having a population exceeding 40 lakh, Hyderabad district relied heavily on its limited groundwater reserves, with extraction touching nearly 99% of the annual extractable resource. The stark mismatch between population concentration and groundwater availability, underscores the mounting pressure on the city’s water security.A similar trend is visible in neighbouring Medchal-Malkajgiri district. Of its annual extractable groundwater resource of 9,700 Ham, nearly 7,700 Ham was withdrawn during the year, reflecting the growing dependence on groundwater for domestic and commercial needs.The situation is particularly worrying because rainwater recharge infrastructure remains inadequate. Officials estimate that about 15% of the city is equipped with functional rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge systems, while large parts of the urban landscape lack such facilities.Experts say the challenge extends beyond the volume of water being extracted. Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri possess some of the lowest groundwater reserves in Telangana despite being among its most densely populated districts. Rapid urbanisation and extensive concretisation have drastically reduced open spaces that allow rainwater to seep into the ground and replenish aquifers.“Hyderabad faces a unique geological disadvantage as much of it is situated on hard rocky terrain, making natural percolation of rainwater more difficult. In Hyderabad, however, the combination of rocky geology, shrinking open spaces and inadequate implementation of rainwater harvesting systems has significantly weakened the natural recharge process,” said B Venkateswara Rao, retired professor, Centre for Water Resources, JNTUH.