Across 33 districts in Telangana, groundwater levels in districts around Hyderabad were low. The image is used for representative purposes only.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
Attention of people in Telangana is currently on water and electricity, potential crisis in availability of the resources in the coming months due to the impact of El Nino weather phenomenon. Changes in weather, less rainfall and relatively higher temperatures have become part of everyday discussions.
The 17% deficit in the Southwest Monsoon the State recorded this year seems to have had an impact on recharging groundwater levels as average depth to water level has dropped in September compared to the corresponding month last year; while average depth to water level was 7.52 m bgl in September 2026, it was 4.41 m bgl in corresponding month of the previous year, which is a drop by 3.11 m bgl, as per data from Telangana Ground Water Department’s report. The decadal average for September is 6.53 m bgl.
| Month and year | Average depth to ground water |
| September 2025 | 4.41 m bgl |
| September 2026 | 7.52 m bgl |
Water levels improve from May to September
However, n et average rise in the average depth to water level was observed in the past few months; from 9.26 m bgl in May 2026, it was 7.87 m bgl in August and 7.52 m bgl in September.
| Month in 2026 | Average depth to ground water |
| May | 9.26 m bgl |
| August | 7.87 m bgl |
| September | 7.52 m bgl |
Water level plummets in Vikarabad
Among the 33 districts, in September, the stark level of groundwater was 11.96 m bgl in Vikarabad, followed by 11.74 m bgl in Rangareddy, 11.64 m bgl in Medchal Malkajgiri and 11.21 m bgl in Sangareddy districts — all located around Hyderabad. The urban districts get vegetables, spices and fruits from the neighbouring districts as well. The groundwater level was 10.58 m bgl in Warangal, 10.51 m bgl in Mahabubnagar, 10.01 m bgl in Hyderabad, 9.78 m bgl in Bhupalapally and 9.68 m bgl in Siddipet.
The water levels were monitored by the department using 1771 Peizometres (monitoring stations) covering all mandals in 33 districts, during September — the last month of the Southwest Monsoon. The State received 616 mm rainfall against the 741 mm normal rainfall, which is 17% deviation.
The groundwater levels are key matrics in the prevailing situation as government has appealed people to conserve water and electricity.
On Thursday, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the State’s water situation is not conducive to farming it in the next eight to ten months. He urged people to save power and electricity till the State receives rains again the next year.
He further said that against the usual availability of 462 TMC of water across all reservoirs in the State at this time of the year, only 200 TMC was available, which is an ‘unprecedented moment of crisis for all of us’.
Published – October 16, 2026 05:27 pm IST
