Hyderabad, a city with a history of more than 400 years, attracts extensive domestic and international tourists. The uncontrolled and haphazard growth of Hyderabad in the past four decades has drastically changed land use patterns, resulting in greatly reduced natural recharge to groundwater. In the recent past, Hyderabad City developed as an information technology (IT) hub. The establishment of many national and international IT companies and institutions has put tremendous pressure on the city's groundwater resources. In March 2015, groundwater levels in most parts of the city were at an all-time low even though the city received more seasonal rain than normal. Groundwater contributes about 25-30% of the city's total water requirement. Hyderabad has a hard-rock aquifer and reduced recharge. Extensive pumping has created water stress even at depths of the aquifer system ranging from 100 m to 300 m (CGWB, 2013). Hundreds of lakes in and around the city, which in the last few decades served as the main source of groundwater recharge, no longer exist. Over 200 water bodies within the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority have been encroached upon as water resources. The effects of urbanization and industrialization in Hyderabad have led to contamination of the aquifer. Due to an inadequate sewerage system and treatment capacity, domestic sewage and industrial effluents flow directly into streams, causing severe groundwater contamination. The Musi River, the main source of water in the area, receives estimated untreated sewage of 500 million liters a day (MLD), and more than 70% of the city's groundwater samples show nitrate concentrations above the maximum permissible limit (MPL) of safe drinking water standards (CGWB, 2011). At present, the city has a water deficit of about 400 MLD, which is going to increase to 585 MLD by 2031 (Anon., 2011). To compensate for current and future water requirements, the government has initiated state-scale megaprojects such as the Krishna Water Supply Project and Pranahita Chevella Project, which are currently in progress. Both central and state groundwater departments monitor groundwater levels and assess the groundwater resources of the city on a continuous basis. The government has initiated several environmental guidelines and standards to regulate domestic and industrial discharges, but proper enforcement is required to avoid illegal discharge. Steps toward rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, and monitoring of groundwater withdrawals have been taken at individual house/apartment level for effective water utilization to avoid further overexploitation of the resource. Several research organizations and groundwater departments have initiated studies to understand the hydrogeology of the city's aquifer on a regional scale since the 1970s; however, due to the high heterogeneity and anisotropic nature of the aquifer systems, more studies at a finer resolution are necessary. Considering the precarious situation, groundwater development and management has to be implemented by fully understanding the sociohydrology of the city. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.