Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Monday expressed serious concern over the alarming pollution levels in the city’s twin reservoirs — Himayatsagar and Osmansagar — caused by industrial effluents, agricultural run-off, and untreated sewage, that’s turned the water unfit for consumption.The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) based on a letter, which in turn is based on a report titled ‘City’s lifelines turning toxic pools’ published in TOI in Oct 2025.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin questioned the authorities on who is responsible for preventing waste discharge into the reservoirs and for ensuring proper treatment of water before it is supplied to the twin cities, and directed the state govt — and the concerned depts — to file their responses within four weeks. It warned of slapping a fine if they fail to do so by the next date of hearing.The matter has been posted to March 23.The TOI report highlighted research conducted by Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), which revealed that Hyderabad’s primary water sources — Osmansagar and Himayatsagar — had turned into “toxic pools” unfit for drinking. The study found that contamination from untreated sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural run-off had severely degraded water quality. It further noted that several city lakes were contaminated with heavy metals and high concentrations of faecal bacteria, rendering the water non-potable and unsafe for human use. The excessive pollution was primarily attributed to the discharge of unregulated sewage from villages around the lakes, along with industrial effluents and agricultural run-off.During the hearing, the bench questioned the counsels representing various govt depts on how the authorities could shy away from their responsibility of maintaining the lakes — key water sources for Hyderabad and Secunderabad.“Ultimately, all of us have to understand that we are the ones who are going to consume that water,” the bench observed, while directing the irrigation and command area development department, HMWS&SB, and the Pollution Control Board to file comprehensive replies.It also directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department to submit affidavits detailing the steps taken to prevent the inflow of polluted sewage into the reservoirs from neighbouring habitations, colonies, villages, and industrial units.
