Monsoon Update: Nearly 2/3rd of India received less or no rainfall; Water levels in reservoirs low
New Delhi, June 12: Even as the Monsoon season has started, nearly two-thirds of the country received deficient or no rainfall between June 1 and June 11, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Resultantly, water levels in India’s major reservoirs have been subdued this week, according to data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Storage in 166 key reservoirs stands at 51.917 billion cubic metres (BCM), or 28 per cent of their total live storage capacity of 183.565 BCM, it says.
The current storage is lower than the 56.533 BCM recorded during the corresponding period last year, though it remains above the decadal average of 44.834 BCM.
The latest data showed that only a small number of reservoirs were filled beyond half their capacity, while none reported storage exceeding 90 per cent.
Southern Region
Southern and Eastern India continued to report the weakest storage levels, with reservoirs in both regions operating at less than one-fourth of their capacity.
In the southern region, 47 reservoirs held 11.602 BCM of water, equivalent to 21 per cent of their total capacity of 55.288 BCM.
Karnataka and Telangana remained under pressure, with storage levels at 14 per cent and 15.5 per cent, respectively.
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu reported relatively higher levels at 33 per cent and 34 per cent, while Kerala’s storage improved marginally to 22 per cent.
Eastern Region
The 27 reservoirs in Eastern India contained 4.736 BCM of water, or 22 per cent of their total capacity of 21.759 BCM.
While reservoirs in Assam were 55 per cent full, storage levels in Odisha and West Bengal remained below 20 per cent. Bihar and Jharkhand reported storage of around 30 per cent, while the lone reservoirs in Meghalaya and Tripura were above 50 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively.
Western Region
The western region’s 53 reservoirs held 11.858 BCM of water, or 31 per cent of capacity. Storage stood at 21 per cent in Maharashtra, 40 per cent in Gujarat and 28 per cent in Goa.
The central region recorded the highest storage among all regions, with reservoirs holding 17.049 BCM of water, equivalent to 35 per cent of total capacity.
Chhattisgarh reported storage of 52.5 per cent, while Madhya Pradesh stood at 37 per cent. Reservoir levels in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were 29 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.
The IMD has forecast a revival of monsoon activity along the western coast in the coming days, which could improve reservoir inflows and support water storage levels across several regions over the next few weeks.
