How to check FTL and buffer zones before buying in Hyderabad

Since HYDRAA began clearing encroachments on lakes, nalas and government land in Hyderabad, buyers ask us one question before price or location: is this property safe from demolition. Several buildings that looked fine on paper turned out to stand inside a lake's full tank level or its buffer zone. This is how to check a property yourself before you pay anything.

RERA registration does not answer this question

RERA registration tells you the project is registered for sale, the builder's disclosures are on record and there is a filed completion date. It does not certify where the land sits in relation to a water body. HYDRAA acts under land and water body rules, and a RERA number is no defence if the building is inside a lake boundary. You need both checks.

FTL and buffer zones

Full tank level (FTL) is the line the water reaches when the lake is full. Building inside it is encroachment, whatever approvals the builder holds.

The buffer zone is a strip outside the FTL line where construction is also restricted. Under the state's building rules (G.O. 168 of 2012) the widths are:

• 30 metres for lakes of 10 hectares and above
• 9 metres for lakes smaller than 10 hectares
• 2 to 9 metres for nalas and canals, depending on their width

These distances are measured from the FTL line, not from where you can see water today. A lake that has shrunk still has its legal boundary, and dry land can be inside it.

How to check a property

1. Get the exact survey number

A flat number or a layout name is not enough. Ask for the survey number, any sub-division number, and the village and mandal. They must match the sale deed and the land records.

2. Compare it with the official lake map

FTL lines are fixed by the Irrigation Department and published on the HMDA lakes portal. HYDRAA's own website links to that portal and to the state's Bhu Bharati land records, where you can look up a survey number. If your survey number overlaps the FTL boundary even partly, do not buy.

3. Measure the buffer

From the FTL line, measure outward by the distance that applies to that lake or nala. If any part of the building or its compound wall falls inside, the property is exposed. Many of the structures that were removed stood in the buffer zone and not in the lake itself.

If you cannot read the maps with confidence, pay a licensed surveyor to mark the survey boundary against the FTL line.

Older layouts need more care

Areas such as Nizampet, Bachupally, Bandlaguda, Pragathi Nagar and Gajularamaram grew quickly, and many layouts there were approved long before lakes were mapped properly. Three problems come up again and again: old nalas that were covered or diverted, lakes that look smaller than their legal boundary, and survey numbers that do not match between old and new layout records.

Near lakes and nalas, buyers now separate safe pockets from doubtful ones. The properties that hold their value tend to sit on higher ground away from drainage lines, with survey numbers clear of the lake maps and a clean chain of title.

Warning signs

• "The FTL is far away", with no map to show it
• A builder who shows only the RERA certificate
• No survey numbers in the brochure or the agreement
• A compound wall close to a nala
• Assurances given verbally and not in writing

Can a finished, occupied building be demolished?

A building inside the FTL or buffer zone is illegal, and approvals given in error can be cancelled. HYDRAA has said it will not demolish occupied homes built with valid permissions before the agency was formed in July 2024. It has also said this does not cover commercial buildings, construction that continued after that date, or buildings whose permissions were revoked. This is the agency's stated policy and it can change, so do not treat it as protection. Even if such a flat is never touched, it will be hard to resell and hard to get a loan against.

If you want help checking a project's survey numbers against the lake maps, book a call with a relai advisor.