Hyderabad, May 21 (INN): With groundwater levels plummeting and urban flooding becoming a frequent issue, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has initiated the ‘Shallow Aquifer Recharge Project’ under the AMRUT scheme of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is the nodal agency overseeing the project.
Five municipal parks in the city have been selected for the project as part of a pilot initiative. In the LB Nagar zone, Kakatiya Park at Habsiguda and E-Sector Park at Sainikpuri have been chosen. The project involves drilling shallow water injection borewells to depths of 100-120 feet, which will channel rainwater through recharge pits to help recharge the deeper aquifer layers.
Implemented with the assistance of ‘The Rainwater Project,’ the initiative aims to significantly boost the city’s groundwater levels.
On Tuesday, GHMC officials conducted an awareness program at Kakatiya Nagar Colony Park, Habsiguda. Representatives from NIUA and ‘The Rainwater Project’ team explained the project’s details to local residents. The park, with a watershed area of 685,738 square meters and a capacity of 44.6 crore litres, has an annual rainfall potential of 53 lakh litres.
Dr. Sunanda Rani, Additional Commissioner (Urban Biodiversity), elaborated on the project’s goals and community benefits. Kalpana, head of ‘The Rainwater Project’, presented the technical interventions at the park and their expected impact on groundwater recharge.
The event was attended by Deputy Director of LB Nagar Zone, Sri M. Chandra Sekhara Rao, NIUA official Anirudh, Circle Manager (Urban Biodiversity) A. Narasimha Rao, the Rainwater Project team, and other GHMC officials.
