MP Owaisi seeks transparent plan to tackle El Niño impact on Hyderabad’s water supply

Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has called for a clear plan to address drinking water security in Hyderabad and surrounding urban areas, as well as a dedicated summer action plan that includes urban employment guarantee provisions to deal with the impact of El Niño on Telangana. 

In an October 28 letter to Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, who is heading the Cabinet sub-committee charged with dealing with the drought and El Niño conditions across Telangana, Owaisi made several suggestions, including a dedicated urban summer action plan addressing the specific vulnerabilities of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and the surrounding urban regions. 

Amid concerns over drinking water security for Hyderabad and the Core Urban Region, Owaisi called on the government to publish a dedicated drinking water plan for the summer season for Hyderabad and surrounding urban areas, including source-wise availability, zone-wise supply schedules, and cut-off dates for contingency sourcing, through a public-facing dashboard. He noted that storage in the reservoirs supplying water to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) have all fallen below normal levels, with the Singur and Manjeera dams almost dried up. 

He also asked the HMWSSB, the irrigation department and the Mission Bhagiratha drinking water project to publish a monthly water account showing legally available shares, minimum drawdown levels, and monthly demand for the Core Urban Region.

Referring to the depleted groundwater levels in the city, Owaisi suggested that commercial water suppliers must be required to disclose their source and the authorised daily withdrawal. 

He also requested that the government set aside small tankers for Old City neighbourhoods with narrow lanes, with a telephone and offline booking route. 

While the government has declared 365 mandals as drought-hit for the 2026 kharif season, Owaisi said that this is mainly a rural drought response framework and that Hyderabad too needs a dedicated urban summer action plan. The plan should include drinking water security, water kiosks, urban employment, ORS distribution, animal water, cooling centres, and special protection for women, children and the elderly, the letter said, stressing that a coordinated, time-bound and transparent response is essential.