Shinking Reservoirs – Cause for water deficit in Hyderabad Metropolitan region.

Abstract

Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, founded in the year 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, offers a fascinating panorama of the past, with richly mixed cultural and historical tradition spanning over 400 years. Soon after India gained independence, Hyderabad state merged with the union of India in the year 1948. On November 1, 1956 the map of India was redrawn into linguistic states and Hyderabad became the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad centrally located on the top of the Deccan Plateau presently is one of the fastest growing cities of India and has emerged as a strong industrial, commercial, technology centre and occupies prime position in India. Secunderabad is a distinct unit physically separated from Hyderabad city by a lake called Hussain Sagar Lake.Hyderabad city is situated between 17°22' N latitude and 78°27' E longitude with an elevation of 525 m amsl. The Hyderabad urban agglomeration (HUA) is the sixth largest in India and is spread over an area of 778 sq.kms comprising Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH), ten peripheral municipalities, Secunderabad cantonment and Osmania University. The Hyderabad Metropolitan area covers an area of 1905 sq. km under the jurisdiction of Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) covering toposheet nos. 56 K/6, 7, 10, 11 and 12. The administrative map of Hyderabad district is shown in the Fig.1. Hyderabad is one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities with a decadal growth rate of 32%. The growth of population was more than 50% during 1981-91 and 27% during 1991-2001.