Hyderabad Facing Severe Water Crisis Fear Of a Drought

Hyderabad Water Crisis: Telangana’s capital and the largest city of the state Hyderabad is experiencing a severe water crisis, very much like Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru. So bad is the situation in the city this time around that there is an imminent fear of a drought.

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Experts have attributed the problem mainly to a significant rise in concrete structures, resulting in a massive depletion of the water spread area.

Records of the municipal administration and Urban Development Department (MAUD) show that between 2010 and 2014, the city witnessed a growth of 50.7 million sft in its total commercial built-up area. Subsequently, from 2015 to 2019, this area expanded by 100.4 million sft. From 2015 to 2021, Hyderabad saw an increase of over 500 million sft in built-up residential area. While the exact built-up area is unavailable in the archives, experts emphasize that it has surged between 70% and 80% in the last three years,

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“Due to this excessive concretization in the name of urbanization, the city is witnessing severe water shortage in March itself. Concretisation leaves no space for groundwater percolation thereby depleting groundwater levels. Similarly, the water bodies, which are meant to store water and recharge the groundwater levels, are filled with sewage and pollutants. This is also the cause of heavy urban flooding that we witness almost every year,” said BV Subba Rao, an environmentalist.

Hyderabad currently has 185 notified water bodies, of which over 150 are either heavily polluted or encroached upon while another 20 have dried up completely, says Telangana State Pollution Control Board’s records while experts highlight that there are over 300 water bodies that are not notified and are also in a terrible condition.

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Meanwhile, Bengaluru has been facing a severe water crisis for almost two months, and with the onset of the hot summer season, the city is staring at more tough times.

With the summer expected to be more severe this year, as many as 7,082 villages across Karnataka and 1,193 wards, including in Bengaluru Urban district, are vulnerable to drinking water crisis as per an assessment made by the government as of February 10.

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In the Bengaluru Urban district, 174 villages and 120 wards are vulnerable.

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