HYDRAA removes 31 illegal borewells near Thammidikunta and Sunnam Cheruvu

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has removed 31 illegal borewells near Thammidikunta and Sunnam Cheruvu, dismantling an alleged network that extracted groundwater and sold it commercially through tankers.

At Thammidikunta, opposite Shilparamam, HYDRAA officials on Monday removed six borewells along with their motors and pipelines. The borewells had been drilled on government land in the lower section of the lake, the agency said. Officials also removed the underground pipelines that carried water to a pond lined with plastic sheets, cutting off its supply.

According to HYDRAA, water pumped from the borewells flowed through the pipelines into the plastic-lined pond. From there, it was loaded into tankers and sold to customers. The arrangement allowed operators to draw groundwater from multiple points and collect it in one place for distribution.

A similar operation was carried out at Sunnam Cheruvu in Madhapur. After an initial drive on Saturday, officials removed 10 more borewells on Monday, bringing the total removed near that lake to 25. Together with the six at Thammidikunta, the figure stands at 31 across the two water bodies.

The drive is aimed at stopping the unauthorised extraction and commercial sale of water near lakes. Beyond the borewells, the agency has also targeted the supporting infrastructure, including motors, pipelines and collection ponds, used to gather and transport the water.

HYDRAA said the crackdown is ongoing.