Hyderabad water tanker bookings soar to 2.2 lakh, highlighting mounting supply stress

Water tanker bookings in Hyderabad surged to about 2.2 lakh in October 2026, up from roughly 87,000 a year earlier, signalling growing stress on the city’s water supply ahead of summer. The rise reflects dwindling surface water and falling groundwater levels, officials said. At a workshop on El Nino contingency on November 5, the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) Telangana and CREDAI Hyderabad gathered senior officials from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), municipal commissioners and real‑estate developers to discuss mitigation steps. HMWSSB Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy warned that the booking spike shows pressure on both water sources and noted that about 20 % of consumption could be saved through behavioural changes and by stopping misuse. He highlighted the board’s green tanker initiative that supplies treated water for non‑drinking uses and raised concerns about private sewage‑treatment plants that are idle or under‑used. CMC Commissioner G. Srijana called the situation an opportunity for lasting water‑management reforms, pointing to a 25 % rainfall deficit that left only 50 TMC of water from the expected 200 TMC at Srisailam. GHMC Commissioner R. V. Karnan urged builders to switch to treated water for construction and landscaping and asked large developers to recycle surplus water from their own STPs. MMC Commissioner T. Vinay Krishna Reddy echoed the call, saying voluntary adoption is already supported by an existing government framework. HYDRAA Commissioner A. V. Ranganath warned that unauthorised groundwater extraction is being curbed through borewell closures, equipment seizures and police action. NAREDCO Telangana president K. Sreedhar Reddy stressed that early preparedness and ongoing collaboration among government, civic bodies and the real‑estate sector are vital. CREDAI Hyderabad president N. Jaideep Reddy said the workshop gave developers practical guidance on reusing treated water and responsible management.

Context

Groundwater in Hyderabad has been falling for years as demand outpaces natural recharge, so cities increasingly rely on treated wastewater to meet non‑drinking needs. Using treated water for construction and landscaping helps preserve limited freshwater for households.