Rainwater Harvesting Pits Ease Hyderabad's Water Troubles
Board managing director K. Ashok Reddy said the ongoing campaign, ‘Every Home a Rainwater Pit – 90 Days Special Drive’, launched a year ago by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and minister Ponnam Prabhakar has yielded visible results
HYDERABAD: Once struggling with drying borewells and a heavy dependence on water tankers, Hyderabad’s residents are now witnessing a revival in water levels — rising by 3 to 9 metres compared to last year, according to data from the HMWS&SB’s groundwater department.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, board managing director K. Ashok Reddy said the ongoing campaign, ‘Every Home a Rainwater Pit – 90 Days Special Drive’, launched a year ago by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and minister Ponnam Prabhakar, has yielded visible results.
The HMWS&SB said its data recorded in September show a sharp rise in groundwater levels across several areas: Kukatpally from 11.29 m (2024) to 7.90 m (2025) — up by 3.39 m; Jeedimetla up by 9.53 m; RC Puram up by 9.65 m; Uppal: increased by 6.86 m; and Kapra (Balajinagar): up by 5.36 m.
The board reported that effective rainwater percolation and 42 per cent higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall contributed to this rise. Areas that previously recorded groundwater depths of 14-28 metres now showed water at two-11 metres. The board said this indicated successful infiltration through recharge pits.
As borewell yields improved, the demand for private water tankers dropped by 12-50 per cent across the city, it said. Major reductions were seen in Vinaynagar division: 50 per cent; Durgam Cheruvu division 37 per cent; Kuthbullapur division 35 per cent; Kapra-Uppal division: 29 per cent; and Manikonda division: 6 per cent.
The water board implemented large-scale rainwater harvesting measures across residential and commercial properties to ensure year-round water availability, he added. The HMWS&SB has made rainwater harvesting pits mandatory for plots larger than 300 sq. metres, coordinating with the GHMC and other municipal bodies to ensure compliance.
