The societal oriented developmental activities in the Anthropocene pertaining have caused disturbance in the functioning of landscapes. In exceptional cases, engineering efforts and policies have resulted in improved functionality of landscapes, leading to improved water reserves, agricultural yields, thus improving the regional ecosystem services. This necessitates a thorough investigation into the variations in land cover and their impact on regional water resources. In the present study, we examine the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority in Telangana State, India, which has numerous lentic ecosystems that have provided water to both aquatic and terrestrial life for aeons. Land cover indices namely NDVI and mNDWI were used to evaluate vegetation and water change patterns between 1977 and 2022 in summer season. Area under water increased from 14.07 to 36.7 to 57.9 km2 in the summer season with commission of Lower and Mid Manair in 1986 and 2018 respectively, likewise cultivated area under increased from 152 to 360 to 671.8 km2. Analysis of the Ground water in pre monsoon post implementation of Lower Manair between 2018 and 2022 indicates an increase in Ground Water table in the range of 1.5–5.5 m. The analysis revealed considerable increase in water availability as lentic ecosystems tend to become perennial and area under rabi crops increased to a large extent. The outcomes of the study shows that, by progressively blue cover in the semi-arid zones can aid in improving the availability of water for irrigation, fisheries and other socio ecological benefits thus improving regional economy.