Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Hyderabad Urged to Cut Water Losses and Reuse Wastewater
Hyderabad gets a large amount of water from distant rivers.
However, much of that water is lost through leaks, broken pipes, faulty meters and illegal connections.
Some neighborhoods still need water tankers, especially during summer.
The city also produces a lot of sewage but treats less than half of it.
Most treated wastewater is not yet being reused.
The article says Hyderabad could save water by finding leaks and using cleaned wastewater for places such as parks, factories and construction sites.
Odisha and Singapore are presented as examples of reducing water losses.
Israel is cited as an example of reusing most collected wastewater.
The proposed plan is to measure water carefully, repair the network and build separate systems for recycled water.
Hyderabad receives about 2,600 million litres of water daily, yet an estimated 35% is lost or unaccounted for before reaching consumers.
Ageing pipes, pressure changes, damaged lines, faulty meters, illegal connections and slow repairs contribute to roughly 910 MLD of non-revenue water.
The city generates about 1,950 MLD of sewage but treats only around 772 MLD, with reported reuse capacity of just 73.4 MLD.
Telangana’s AMRUT 2.0 sewerage projects have faced severe delays, with only 0.58 kilometres of a proposed 1,025.48-kilometre network reported as laid.
The proposed solutions include district-metered areas, real-time leak monitoring, completed sewer projects and separate networks for recycled water.
- Who
- Hyderabad residents, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and the Telangana government are central to the issue.
- What
- The article calls for reducing water losses and expanding sewage treatment and wastewater reuse in Hyderabad.
- When
- The problem is ongoing and becomes especially visible during summer; the latest parliamentary review cited in the article found major delays in AMRUT 2.0 projects.
- Where
- Hyderabad and urban Telangana, with examples from Odisha, Singapore and Israel.
- Why
- Water is lost through distribution problems and inadequate sewage treatment despite the city receiving substantial supplies from the Krishna and Godavari rivers.
- Daily water supply
- Hyderabad receives about 2,600 million litres per day.
- Estimated non-revenue water
- An assessment places Hyderabad’s non-revenue water at 35%, or about 910 MLD at current pumping levels.
- Sewage generation
- The city generates around 1,950 MLD of sewage.
- Sewage treatment
- Hyderabad treats about 772 MLD of sewage.
- Reported reuse capacity
- Reported wastewater reuse capacity is 73.4 MLD.
- AMRUT 2.0 sewer network
- Telangana proposed 1,025.48 kilometres of sewer network, but 0.58 kilometres had been reported as laid at the latest parliamentary review.
- Potential reuse
- Reusing 20% of Hyderabad’s sewage could provide about 390 MLD.