Hyderabad: The groundwater situation may have shown some improvement with the monsoon, but the recovery remains far from sufficient to reverse the sharp deterioration recorded over the past year amid the impact of El Niño-induced rainfall variability. The latest assessment by the ground water department puts the average groundwater depth in Hyderabad at 11.20 metres below ground level (mbgl) in Aug 2026, compared with 6.36 metres in Aug 2025. This means the groundwater table has moved nearly five metres deeper in just one year.The deepest groundwater pockets are concentrated across northern, north-western and eastern parts of Hyderabad, besides several rapidly urbanising areas of Rangareddy. The situation is particularly worrying in Quthbullapur, Serilingampally and Kukatpally, where several monitoring points recorded substantial year-on-year declines.The department recorded a depth of 39.89 mbgl at Quthbullapur, the deepest groundwater level recorded in Aug, marking a sharp decline of 27.74 metres from 14.15 metres last year.In Tirumalagiri, the groundwater level fell by 13.73 metres year-on-year to 17.68 metres, while Maredpally recorded a decline of 12.97 metres at one monitoring station. Serilingampally, Medipally, Medchal, Uppal, Kukatpally and Hafeezpet also recorded substantial annual declines at individual monitoring points.The groundwater decline coincides with a weak monsoon. The city received 360 mm of rainfall against a normal 460 mm up to August, a 22% deficit. Of the 46 mandals monitored, 28 recorded deficient rainfall, 17 received normal rainfall and only one mandal — Moinabad — recorded excess rainfall. Experts attribute the growing groundwater stress not just to deficient rainfall but also to the failure to adequately capture and recharge the rainwater the city does receive. Rapid urbanisation and extensive concretisation have steadily reduced open spaces, parks, vacant plots and other surfaces through which rainwater can seep into the soil and replenish aquifers.Officials, however, point to some signs of recovery, saying groundwater levels recorded a net rise of 0.80 metre in Aug compared with the pre-monsoon levels in May. “The groundwater levels in Aug were higher than the decadal average for the month (2016-2025) in 14 mandals, with the rise extending up to 17.07 metres in some areas. However, the situation remains uneven, with water levels deeper than 20 metres below ground level recorded in 11 mandals,” said an official in the groundwater department.
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