This week, the water level in India’s 155 major reservoirs continued to decrease, reaching 47 per cent of capacity. More than 30 per cent of these reservoirs had a level below 40 per cent, according to data from the Central Water Commission (CWC).
The current storage stands at 85.373 billion cubic metres (BCM) out of a total capacity of 180.852 BCM. While this level is 19 per cent higher than last year, it is 16 per cent more than the normal level over the past 10 years.
The data reveals that the storage in most regions, except for central and western India, is below 50 per cent. States like Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh have better levels of reservoir storage.
Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that 65 per cent of the country received no rainfall since the beginning of March. Between January and February, 80 per cent of the country experienced deficient or no rainfall, while over 60 per cent faced deficient post-monsoon rainfall from October to December.
In the northern region, the storage levels were at their lowest, with Punjab’s reservoir at 20 per cent capacity and Himachal Pradesh’s at 21 per cent. Overall, the region’s storage was at 27 per cent of its capacity.
The eastern region had a storage level of 46 per cent, with Tripura’s reservoir at 68 per cent, Jharkhand’s at 57 per cent, and Bihar’s at 19 per cent. The western region boasted the highest storage at 58 per cent, with Goa’s reservoir at 73 per cent.
In the central region, the storage level was at 50 per cent, with Madhya Pradesh’s reservoirs at 54 per cent, while Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh were below 50 per cent. The southern region had a storage level of 47 per cent, with Tamil Nadu’s dams at 73 per cent and Andhra Pradesh’s at 63 per cent.
Despite the current levels, the IMD predicts a further decline in reservoir storage due to the ongoing heat wave in certain regions.
