Nallagandla residents push rainwater recharge, seek action on illegal borewells
HYDERABAD: Residents of Nallagandla in Cyberabad are modifying their layouts to recharge rainwater directly into the ground. In addition, they have asked local authorities to stop what they describe as illegal commercial groundwater extraction in the area.
The Mana Nallagandla Welfare Association (MNWA-TG), a registered Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), wrote to the Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner, the Rangareddy District Collector (who chairs the district WALTA Authority), and the Director of the Telangana Ground Water Department. Meanwhile, the Association encourages residents to create a “Sponge Community.”
Fears of a dry spell
According to association president P. Jalendar Reddy, forecasts show a stronger El Niño, which is expected to reduce and disrupt the South-West monsoon. Furthermore, he says that Cyberabad’s hard-rock granite and gneiss geology does not recharge aquifers easily without sustained rainfall. If the monsoon season is short or erratic, deep rock fissures could remain dry.
The petition says that Nallagandla once had some of the most resilient, high-yielding static groundwater levels in Hyderabad, but urbanization has stripped away natural recharge zones. As evidence, the petition includes a vulnerability map marking Nallagandla and Tellapur as critical or extreme-risk zones. The map is described as an analytical model derived from open spatial data and climate forecasts, and it is the association’s own assessment, not an official classification.
What residents are building
The association’s Vice President, B. Ajay, says they hired a certified hydrogeological engineering contractor. As part of their efforts, they are retrofitting existing rainwater harvesting pits into direct borewell recharge systems. Rooftop and paved-area runoff is routed by gravity, bypassing sewer and greywater lines. Mechanical first-flush diverters discard the first 10 to 15 minutes of rain, which carry dust and debris. After this, runoff passes through underground filter chambers layered with fine river sand, graded gravel (20 to 40 mm) and coarse granite boulders (40 to 65 mm). Finally, the casing of existing communal borewells has been micro-perforated and wrapped in stainless steel mesh, so filtered water can enter the rock fractures directly.
The association says all work is being done inside its registered layout, and that no public roads or stormwater drains are being altered without separate work orders. Moreover, the system is designed to exclude road runoff and surface sewage.
Allegations against commercial operators
The petition alleges that a “water mafia” is drilling unauthorised high-diameter borewells on vacant plots, tapping deep aquifer fractures and extracting large volumes daily, which are transported by tanker to commercial hubs outside the area. According to the petition, this practice violates Section 11 of the Telangana Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA), 2002, and has resulted in some community wells running dry. However, no operators are named, and the claims have not been independently verified.
The association requests that authorities accept the blueprint on record and send a municipal geologist to inspect and validate the filtration systems. In addition, it asks them to map, shut down, and seal illegal commercial extraction wells around Nallagandla, and seize the rigs, high-capacity pumps, and tankers used in violations.
The petition cites WALTA provisions on rainwater harvesting and the HMWSSB Act’s requirement for rainwater harvesting structures on plots above 300 square metres.
The association says community recharge efforts cannot offset the regional problem if groundwater continues to be drawn by unauthorised or excessive commercial borewells. Therefore, it is pressing for stronger enforcement and more investment in artificial recharge infrastructure, and calls on residents to capture and recharge as much rainwater as possible.
