Hyderabad: The Hyderabad water tanker strike ended on Wednesday after operators agreed to resume water supply immediately following talks with HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath. The association withdrew its two-day protest after reaching an understanding on groundwater extraction rules. The meeting took place at the HYDRAA office following instructions from Hyderabad district in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.
A delegation led by Water Tankers Association president Chandrasekhar met Ranganath on Wednesday afternoon. Following the discussions, the operators agreed to end the strike and restore supplies.
Ranganath said tanker operators had agreed to draw groundwater only from peri-urban areas outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits. However, they must first obtain the necessary permissions from the concerned departments. He also asked operators to avoid extracting groundwater for commercial purposes within core Hyderabad.
The Commissioner said the decision followed a significant decline in the city’s groundwater levels. He explained that commercial demand had placed growing pressure on groundwater sources in several neighbourhoods.
Hyderabad water tanker strike ends amid groundwater concerns
Areas such as Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally, Ameerpet and Ashok Nagar have numerous paying guest hostels and commercial establishments. These facilities require regular water supplies. Consequently, tanker operators had been drawing water from nearby borewells to reduce transportation costs.
Ranganath said this practice had increased pressure on groundwater resources in those localities. While households generally use borewells at depths of 100 to 300 feet, some commercial operators drill much deeper. He said certain borewells extend to 1,000–1,500 feet or more. Operators also use high-capacity motors to extract water.
As a result, residents had complained that their household borewells were drying up. In Tellapur, hundreds of people had protested against alleged illegal groundwater extraction for commercial use. Residents of Suraram and Jeedimetla also approached the HYDRAA office in large numbers. They complained that unauthorised extraction in their neighbourhoods had affected domestic borewells.
Ranganath urged officials to protect water availability for household needs. He said HYDRAA had already acted in some areas after receiving public complaints. The agency coordinated with revenue, police, municipal and groundwater departments during those operations.
Going forward, HYDRAA plans to work with the Water Board and other departments. The coordination will focus on preventing commercial exploitation of groundwater in densely populated parts of core Hyderabad. These areas also face high demand for water.
At the same time, Ranganath assured that authorities would help PG hostels and other commercial establishments maintain their water supplies. He said the administration would work to protect household water security while ensuring regular supplies for commercial needs.