HMWS&SB pushes for rainwater harvesting measures as tanker demand surges
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board is urging residents to adopt rainwater harvesting to combat declining groundwater levels. Officials report that increased tanker demand is unsustainable and are providing technical support to help households and apartments implement recharge systems.
Why it matters
Urban water scarcity is a growing crisis in India, and shifting from reliance on distant water sources to local groundwater recharge is critical for long-term sustainability.
Hyderabad’s growing dependence on water tankers has become a clear warning sign of declining groundwater levels in the city.
“Earlier, only about 40,000 people used to book tankers. Now that number has increased to over one lakh,” Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy said, stressing on the urgent need for water management.
Speaking during a programme with the All India Radio on Friday, he said permanent water security for Hyderabad cannot be achieved only through bringing water from distant sources like Krishna and Godavari rivers. Conserving rainwater and improving groundwater levels are the only long-term solutions.
While the city receives rainfall for only about 70 days a year, the dependence on groundwater remains for months. Increased concretisation has also reduced the natural recharge of groundwater, and that’s why installing rainwater harvesting systems in every house and apartment must be taken up, he explained.
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