Groundwater levels in Ranga Reddy district fell to an average of 12.75 metres below ground level in October 2026, compared with 6.14 metres a year earlier. All 27 mandals recorded a decline, while 19 received deficient rainfall.
Residents of Khammam’s III Town area are facing acute groundwater depletion and drinking water shortage following the demolition of the Munneru check dam at Prakash Nagar. The dam, built in 2021 during the BRS regime, had boosted groundwater levels, but was razed by the Congress government citing flood risks during the 2023 monsoon.
The scarcity persisted until the last week of August, with heavy downpours on August 30 and 31 triggering floods in nearby areas, yet leaving Wadaparthy tanks empty.
That's because in about 20 per cent of the aquifers studied, the authors found that the rate at which groundwater levels are falling in the 21st century had slowed down compared to the the 1980s and '90s.
