1. 42% excess rainfall this monsoon
2. 12%  fall in tanker demand this fortnight
3. 16,196 homes issued notices for missing pits
4. 0.75–0.95% of rainfall used to percolate earlier

Hyderabad’s rainwater harvesting mission is yielding visible results, with the city recording a steady rise in groundwater levels and a clear drop in water tanker demand. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB)’s “Intinta Inkudu Gunta” (Rainwater Recharge Pit at Every Home) campaign, launched on October 2, 2024, by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, is showing strong impact across several divisions.

Groundwater data between May and September 2025 shows remarkable improvement across the city. In Kukatpally, levels rose from 11.29 metres last year to 7.90 metres — a 3.39-metre gain. SR Nagar recorded a 5.06-metre rise, Marredpally 4.61 metres, Jeedimetla 9.53 metres, Erragadda 2.95 metres, Patancheru 1.58 metres, Hasmathpet 5.23 metres, RC Puram 9.65 metres, Fathenagar 1.20 metres, Uppal 6.86 metres, and Balajinagar (Kapra) 5.36 metres. Groundwater department reports confirm that most divisions have seen a rise between 3 and 9 metres compared to last year.

Hyderabad receives about 85 to 89 centimetres of rainfall annually, but in previous years, only 0.75 to 0.95 percent of it seeped into the ground. The rest flowed away as stormwater through drains. The new rainwater harvesting drive has reversed this wasteful pattern, ensuring large quantities of rainwater percolate into the soil to recharge borewells.

The 2025 monsoon, which recorded 42 percent excess rainfall, has further boosted groundwater recharge. Thousands of recharge pits across residential colonies have increased infiltration and revived borewell levels. As a result, demand for private water tankers — once a necessity — has dropped sharply.

Nearly 80 percent of tanker demand comes from Kukatpally, Nizampet, Pragatinagar, Serilingampally, Madhapur, Manikonda, and SR Nagar. However, with improved groundwater, bookings have fallen. Compared to last year, the demand in the first fortnight of October alone dropped by around 12 percent.

To sustain this momentum, recharge pits are now mandatory for all plots above 300 square metres. Notices were issued to 16,196 households without pits, while 182 special teams and 18 NGOs are spreading awareness.