Hyderabad’s worsening water crisis has begun affecting the academic calendar, with several residential junior colleges declaring early Diwali holidays and asking hostel students to return home. Campuses
in Madhapur and the HITEC City area, including branches of Sri Chaitanya and Narayana, announced temporary closures on Tuesday as water shortages disrupted routine operations.
The move is significant because several corporate junior colleges are known for continuing classes even during regular holidays. This time, however, the shortage of water for drinking, cooking, bathing and other essential needs has left residential campuses struggling to accommodate students.
The colleges issued circulars asking parents to take their children home by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. Following the announcements, students were seen rushing to Metro stations, particularly around HITEC City, to reach bus terminals and railway stations.
Nearly 10 Narayana Junior College campuses in Madhapur and Ayyappa Society have reportedly announced temporary closures until Diwali. Sri Chaitanya has also declared homesick holidays for students at several branches across the city.
Private Tanker Dependence Adds To Campus Water Crisis
Residential colleges have been relying on private water tankers to meet their daily needs. However, action by officials against tanker operators has affected supplies, making it increasingly difficult for institutions to maintain hostel operations.
The shortage is also affecting private hostels across Hyderabad’s Core Urban Region Economy (CURE) region, many of which depend on private tankers for their daily water needs.
With drinking water, kitchen operations and basic sanitation becoming difficult to manage, college managements have opted to temporarily close residential campuses rather than continue operating under strained conditions.
Online Classes To Continue, Reopening Dates Yet To Be Announced
Although the colleges have declared holidays until Diwali, they have not confirmed when physical classes will resume. Managements have said that reopening dates will be communicated separately before Diwali.
One college, in a notice to students, said temporary holidays were being announced for both junior and senior students because of the severe water crisis across Hyderabad. It also stated that online classes would continue regularly and instructed students to attend them without fail.
Sources said that if the water situation does not improve over the next few days, some colleges could consider extending the closure for the remainder of the academic year and continuing with online classes.
The possibility has raised concerns about how prolonged water shortages could affect classroom teaching, residential facilities and the academic schedule.
Student Leaders Question Colleges’ Decision To Shut Campuses
The sudden closure has also triggered questions over whether colleges obtained official permission to suspend physical classes or took the decision independently.
Student leaders have questioned why institutions that continued conducting classes during holidays are now shutting campuses during the regular academic term. They have also asked how residential colleges in water-stressed areas were allowed to operate hostels without adequate arrangements to meet students’ basic needs.
Dileep J, a student leader in Hyderabad, questioned the lack of intervention by education officials and called for accountability from both college managements and the authorities.
The developments have also raised wider concerns across Telangana, where universities and colleges are reportedly considering a shift to online teaching if the water crisis worsens. Curtailing the academic year is also among the possibilities being discussed.
Osmania University Prepares For Reduced Water Supply
The impact of the water crisis is not limited to private institutions. Osmania University is preparing for a possible shortage after the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) informed the university that the duration of water supply would be reduced.
University authorities have already taken steps to manage the situation by shifting students from hostels facing shortages to residential blocks where water is more readily available.
Sources at Osmania University said the institution was not anticipating a severe crisis at present, citing its large green spaces and borewells. However, the administration has begun making arrangements in response to the water board’s communication.
Hyderabad’s Water Crisis Begins To Affect Education Sector
The disruption at colleges and hostels highlights how Hyderabad’s water shortage is extending beyond household supply concerns to essential institutions. The crisis in the CURE region has been linked to the impact of El Niño, with residential campuses among the latest to feel the pressure.
For now, colleges are relying on online classes to keep academic activities going while students return home. However, if tanker supplies remain disrupted and municipal supply hours are reduced further, the temporary Diwali break could turn into a longer interruption for students living in residential campuses.
