Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has launched a major crackdown on an alleged illegal water extraction and supply racket around Sunnam Cheruvu, removing 15 borewells drilled inside residential houses and exposing an extensive network of underground pipelines used to pump and transport water for commercial sale.The operation, conducted jointly with officials from the revenue department, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation and the water board, uncovered borewells concealed in bedrooms, kitchens and even beneath beds, with powerful motors installed to extract groundwater. Officials also found underground pipelines running for hundreds of metres, connecting borewells to water storage tanks and tanker-filling points.The crackdown followed complaints that water was being illegally extracted from borewells in the surrounding areas, filled into tankers and sold to hotels and hostels, including establishments in Madhapur. HYDRAA said the operation would continue to identify and dismantle the illegal network. The agency removed the borewells in Navbharat Nagar and Borabanda Phase III and took action against underground pipelines linked to the alleged racket. The operation began at around 6.30 am and continued until the evening.“Each borewell had several outlets through which water was pumped into water storage tanks and then transferred to private water tankers for transportation. We have asked the police to register cases against those operating these borewells and seize the tankers involved,” said AV Ranganath, commissioner, HYDRAA.Contaminated water supplied to hotels, hostelsThe latest action follows an earlier intervention by HYDRAA against borewells operating within the FTL of Sunnam Cheruvu. According to the agency, water extracted from some of these borewells was found to contain hazardous contaminants.Tests conducted by the Telangana pollution control board reportedly detected elevated levels of heavy metals, including cadmium, lead and nickel. The agency warned that consumption of contaminated water could pose serious health risks. HYDRAA alleged that water extracted from these borewells was being supplied commercially despite concerns over its quality, raising questions about the safety of water consumed by residents, hotel guests and hostel occupants.According to HYDRAA, residents complained that large-scale extraction was worsening local water scarcity and depleting groundwater reserves. Some residents said borewells that once yielded water at depths of around 60 feet now required drilling to nearly 600 feet. Several existing borewells had also dried up, while their motors had burnt out. Residents alleged that while households were struggling to secure water for their daily needs, operators continued to extract and sell groundwater through tanker networks.
