Hyderabad faces groundwater stress amid monsoon shortfall

North-eastern Hyderabad is experiencing increasing groundwater stress due to a weak monsoon season. The Ground Water Department reports that while there has been a marginal rise in the water table in the 15 mandals of the Medchal-Malkajgiri district, the rainfall has been insufficient to adequately refill underground aquifers.

Officials have noted that groundwater resources remain under pressure from massive and often illegal borewell drilling. Residents' Welfare Associations in Malkajgiri have urged the government to address the rise in unauthorized borewells, which they claim are depleting the local water table and causing scarcity for households.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Hyderabad has indicated that monsoon rains over Telangana are likely to ease starting September 4, a lull attributed to the El Nino climate pattern. Telangana has recorded 476.8 mm of rain so far this southwest monsoon, which is a 20 per cent deviation below the normal of 592.7 mm.