Hyderabad's Water Crisis: Rapid Growth Threatens Tap Supplies Hyderabad’s explosive urban expansion has outpaced its stagnant drinking water supply, raising concerns about the city’s ability to sustain its growing population. Despite expanding from 650 square kilometers to over 2,000 square kilometers and its population nearly doubling from 70 lakh in 2012 to 1.3 crore today, the city’s drinking water supply has remained frozen at 600 million gallons per day (MGD) for over 14 years. The last increase of 90 MGD came in 2012 under Krishna Phase III, but since then, there has been no addition to meet the soaring demand. The gap is already visible, with a current shortfall of around 150 MGD, projected to widen to over 230 MGD by 2027 when demand is expected to reach 833 MGD. The crisis is most acute in fast-growing peripheral areas like Kollur, Mokila, Tellapur, Nallagandla, and regions beyond Osmannagar, where real estate has boomed but water infrastructure has failed to keep pace. Residents in these areas now rely heavily on groundwater and private tankers to meet daily needs. The city consumed nearly 20 lakh tanker loads last year, with 3% of residents relying entirely on tanker supply. Strikingly, 90% of tanker bookings come from 42,000 apartment complexes, mostly in the western corridor. Experts warn that granting building permissions without ensuring water infrastructure is a serious lapse, urging authorities to pause approvals until supply systems are in place. Groundwater extraction has surged to dangerous levels, with several mandals, including Ameerpet, Khairatabad, Amberpet, Balanagar, Bachupally, and Serilingampally, classified as over-exploited. Extraction levels in these areas range from 100% to 177%, exceeding the Central Groundwater Board’s threshold for overuse.#hyderabad #hmwssb #godavari_drinking_water_supply_scheme_phase_ii_iii #krishna_phase_iii #osman_sagar
