After the worst June rainfall in over a decade, July was expected to offer some relief for Hyderabad. However, even as the month crosses its halfway mark, the city continues to face a significant monsoon shortfall, raising fears of an early onset of water scarcity.According to the Telangana State Development Planning Society, Hyderabad recorded over a 56% rainfall deficit so far, with adjoining districts like Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Sangareddy also seeing sharp dips. Several mandals in and around the city have been categorised under the ‘deficient’ bracket.“The ongoing dry spell resulted in the absence of strong low-pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal and a weak monsoon trough, both of which are crucial for driving rains into Telangana,” said YB Rama Rao, meteorologist from TSDPS. He further added that groundwater recharge depends on consistent rainfall. “In its absence, people keep drilling deeper. This isn’t sustainable,” he said.Groundwater department officials confirmed that while current reservoir levels are manageable, the trend is worrying. “Our supply is still stable, thanks to upstream sources like the Krishna and Godavari pipelines. But if sources like Osmansagar, Himayatsagar, and Manjeera don’t get replenished, we’ll have to start rationing earlier,” said K Laxma, director of the groundwater department. “If this continues, we could face water scarcity as early as Feb,” he added.Plummeting levelsAccording to the data from the groundwater department, in Kapra, Cherlapally’s depth rose from 5.84 mbgl in May to 8.25 mbgl in June. Kukatpally saw a sharp drop in water levels from 13.92 to 19.92 mbgl. In Medchal, Gundla Pochampally worsened from 17.65 mbgl to 18.39. Jeedimetla’s depth rose from 21.58 to 23.55 mbgl, and Quthbullapur from 20.07 to 21.75 mbgl. In Shamirpet, Devara Yamjal saw worseningfrom 4.97 in May to 9.86 mbgl in June. In Rajender Nagar, the level dropped from 11.63 to 13.82 mbgl. Smaller tanks remain mostly dry, defeating their role as local recharge hubs. Reduced inflows will also affect biodiversity and microclimate regulation.“Hyderabad is already on the edge when it comes to water infrastructure. This deficit is a wake-up call. If steps like rooftop rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling aren’t pushed at scale, we’ll be firefighting every summer,” said Mohd Ishtiyaq, who is researching lakes in the old city.
