The Central Water Commission (CWC) reported a significant improvement in India’s reservoir storage, with live storage across 155 monitored reservoirs reaching 98.974 billion cubic meters (BCM). This accounts for 55% of their total capacity, marking a 120% rise from the same period last year and 116% of the ten-year average, according to the CWC’s weekly bulletin. 

Regional data shows mixed performance. In the northern region (Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan), storage is at 30% of total capacity, down from last year’s 40%. The eastern region (Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland, Bihar) recorded 54% storage, just below last year’s 55% and the normal 57%. The western region (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa) saw a strong increase, with 67% storage compared to 56% last year and the normal 51%. Central region reservoirs (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh) improved to 57% from 53% last year, surpassing the normal 50%. The southern region (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu) reported 53% storage, well above last year’s 30% and the usual 41%. 

Of the monitored reservoirs, 100 reported higher storage than last year, while 112 exceeded normal levels. However, 20 reservoirs had less than 80% of normal storage, with eight critically low at below 50%. 

The bulletin noted that rainfall deficits in IMD sub-divisions, particularly in Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Odisha, have impacted reservoir levels. Major basins like the Ganga, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery recorded better-than-normal storage, whereas the Indus and Brahmani-Baitarni basins showed deficits. 

(Business Standard)