Tue May 13 08:25:00 UTC 2025: ## Hyderabad Faces Groundwater Crisis Despite Increased Rainfall
**Hyderabad, Telangana, May 13, 2025** – Despite receiving 19% more rainfall than average in the past year, a significant portion of Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road area is experiencing a severe groundwater depletion crisis. According to data from the Telangana Groundwater Department, 145 square kilometers have seen the water table drop below the critical 20-meter mark.
The affected areas include Serilingampally, Hayatnagar, Abdullapurmet, Saroornagar, Kukatpally, Bachupally, Malkajgiri, and Dundigal mandals. This alarming situation, classified as a “red zone,” is attributed to over-exploitation, despite a 2.34-meter rise in the decadal average groundwater level within the Outer Ring Road area.
K. Laxma, director of the Telangana Groundwater Department, stated that human activities are the primary cause. Encroachment on water bodies, urbanization, and the increasing water consumption of high-rise buildings are cited as major factors contributing to the depletion. Mr. Laxma highlighted the disappearance of lakes and the construction of numerous high-rises, each consuming over 150 liters of water per urban user, as key contributors.
This crisis comes after 2024, when 11 mandals within Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation already faced severe groundwater over-exploitation. The current situation underscores the urgent need for sustainable water management practices in the region.
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