Hyderabad’s water supply system is facing fresh restrictions after the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board decided to cut supplies to the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, the Ordnance Factory and Bharat Dynamics Limited by 20% to 50% amid critically low storage in the Singur reservoir.
According to a report by Telangana Today, HMWSSB officials have asked the institutions to make alternative arrangements for their water requirements until June 2027, when fresh inflows into Singur are expected. The board draws water from the reservoir to supply these organisations as well as parts of Hyderabad.
Singur currently holds 3.70 TMCft of water against its full storage capacity of 29.91 TMCft, according to the report. The reservoir’s available storage is therefore a fraction of its designed capacity, putting pressure on the water board to prioritise essential drinking-water requirements across the supply network.
Singur irrigation officials have released 0.150 TMCft of water into the Manjeera to meet immediate drinking-water needs. The Manjeera reservoir, another part of the system, currently holds only 0.200 TMCft, Telangana Today reported.
The restrictions are also extending to industrial users in Sangareddy. Supplies to beverage companies have reportedly been gradually reduced, although officials were still supplying 5,000 litres of water to one beverage company on Monday. HMWSSB has recently stopped supplying water to chemical companies because of the shortage in the reservoirs.
The planned reductions affect institutions with large and operationally important campuses and facilities. For IITH, BHEL, the Ordnance Factory and BDL, the instruction to arrange alternative supplies could require them to supplement their normal municipal allocation through other sources until the next expected inflow period. The report did not specify the individual quantities supplied to each organisation or the precise schedule for implementing the cuts.
The latest decision highlights the competing demands placed on the Hyderabad region’s water network during a period of depleted reservoir storage. HMWSSB must continue supplying parts of the city while reducing or stopping deliveries to selected institutional and industrial users. The release into the Manjeera indicates that officials are using available water in the connected reservoir system to address immediate drinking-water needs.
The situation could become more severe in the near term. Telangana Today reported that Singur is expected to run dry within a month if the current conditions continue. HMWSSB has not provided complete details of the restrictions on beverage companies, and the report did not include a public statement specifying the final cut percentages for each affected institution.
The immediate administrative steps are for the four institutions to arrange alternative water supplies and for HMWSSB to manage allocations across domestic, institutional and industrial users. The next major supply milestone identified in the report is the expected arrival of fresh inflows into Singur in June 2027.
