As Visakhapatnam rises skyward, groundwater sinks in Yendada-Madhurawada corridor
On the surface, the situation appears reassuring. The Yeleru reservoir remains well stocked, Godavari water continues to supplement Visakhapatnam’s supply, and officials say there is
On the surface, the situation appears reassuring. The Yeleru reservoir remains well stocked, Godavari water continues to supplement Visakhapatnam’s supply, and officials say there is no immediate threat to municipal drinking water. Beneath the ground, however, another story is unfolding. Groundwater levels have fallen sharply across several of the city’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods, where apartment towers, gated communities and commercial developments have turned what were once peri-urban villages into dense residential corridors. Experts warn that unless urban planning, groundwater recharge and water supply keep pace with development, dependence on borewells and tanker water will keep rising. Embed Data from the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Information and Management System (APWRIMS) shows that some of the city’s fastest-growing localities record among the deepest groundwater levels. As on July 2, 2026, groundwater stood at 31.69 metres below ground level (mbgl) in Arilova, 28.73 mbgl in Yendada, 27.23 mbgl in Madhurawada, 23.12 mbgl in Peda Rushikonda, 16.52 mbgl at YSR Park, 14.54 mbgl in Visalakshinagar and 11.72 mbgl in Marikavalasa. District-wide APWRIMS data also shows groundwater stress across several mandals. Visakhapatnam (Rural) recorded an average groundwater level of 20.43 mbgl, followed by Maharanipeta (9.97 mbgl), Anandapuram (9.38 mbgl), Gajuwaka (8.88 mbgl), Visakhapatnam Urban (8.79 mbgl) and Pendurthi (8.51 mbgl). Yendada the most vulnerable pocket According to K. Pushpa Latha, Visakhapatnam District Ground Water Officer, the department’s manual monitoring has consistently found Yendada to be the district’s most stressed locality. “Our latest manual readings show that Yendada is the most critically affected area in the district. The groundwater level there has fallen to 30.37 metres (about 100 feet) below ground level,” she said.
Embed While borewells of 250 to 270 feet are generally adequate in the area, builders increasingly drill to 400 to 500 feet, adding to the pressure on aquifers. “When one property drills a much deeper borewell, groundwater is diverted towards it. As a result, neighbouring shallow borewells dry up much faster,” Ms. Pushpa Latha said. The department receives complaints every summer from residents whose older borewells fail after nearby construction projects begin drilling deeper wells. A city turning into concrete jungle For Ananda Gajapathi, Head of the Department of Geophysics at Andhra University, the reasons behind the decline are straightforward. “Urbanisation is the primary reason. Water consumption has gone up, but groundwater recharge has not kept pace.” He said every new road, apartment complex and parking area reduced the land available for rainwater to seep in. “As more land is covered with concrete, rainwater can no longer soak into the soil. Instead, it flows away as surface runoff. Once an area becomes urbanised, infiltration declines sharply.” The consequences extend beyond groundwater depletion. “When recharge declines, even moderate rainfall results in higher runoff, raising the likelihood of flash flooding.” He added that the problem was spreading beyond the city. “Real estate development in rural areas is also cutting recharge. Land is levelled and compacted before layouts are developed, reducing the soil’s capacity to absorb rainwater.” Reservoirs remain healthy, but local shortages persist Despite the groundwater decline, officials stress that Visakhapatnam is not facing an immediate drinking water crisis. The city draws water from the Yeleru reservoir, the Godavari river, the Tatipudi reservoir and the Raiwada reservoir.
The BriefWire