Hyderabad’s tanker demand this March was 45,000 plus than last April

Hyderabad residents have made history again. The dependence on water tankers, a whopping 1.81 lakh tankers supplied in March 2024 which was considered an ‘all-time high’ that year has a new record now — about 2.83 lakh tanker deliveries or a 56% year-on-year rise.

In comparison, the March 2025 record outdates last April’s 2,37,570 figure precisely by 45,741 tankers, records show.

“There was a sudden drying up of borewells in western Hyderabad and there were not as many tankers, drivers and filling points. But that does not mean the city is in the grip of a water crisis,” Principal Secretary (MA&UD) M. Dana Kishore, fighting the false narrative of water crisis in 2024, had said.

But it is also this part of the Hyderabad that offers new narratives now. For instance, the number of tankers delivered to Durgam Cheruvu, Kukatpally and SR Nagar divisions in March 2025, a total of 1,51,264 is still greater than the combined total tanker deliveries to all the other divisions in the city.

And specifically, the demand for water tankers, evidently from lack of groundwater resource or a functional rainwater harvesting pit, has drastically risen in several areas.

Water tanker demands compared year-over-year tell Manikonda division showed a maximum 150% rise in tanker bookings, from 8,064 to 20,188 now. Hovering around the 100% increase in tanker bookings are Nizampet, Alwal and Malkajgiri, and Asifnagar divisions.

The demand is also disproportionate and by a few thousand repeat tanker consumers of the total 13 lakh water connections.

As per an April-November 2024 survey of rainwater harvesting pits in the city, for houses having plot area of 300 sq. metres and above, the most repeat consumers of SR Nagar (5,176), Durgam Cheruvu (2,331), Hafeezpet (1,534), Sahebnagar (1,299), and Asifnagar (1,249) were also the ones without a rainwater harvesting pit. They were served notices.

According to Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) Managing Director K. Ashok Reddy, who explains the Board’s organisational capacities for a smooth service, says it is all prepared to face an even harsh summer ahead.

“We focus and follow up on filling points, deliveries and the service level agreement, hence there is no ‘water crisis’. With the reservoir levels inching down, particularly in the Krishna basin for irrigation needs by Andhra Pradesh, the month of May would be challenging. But we are preparing for emergency pumping and there is absolutely nothing to panic about,” he said.