India’s 166 major reservoirs are at 28.28% of their total live storage capacity, according to the Central Water Commission.
Reservoir storage is 15.8% above normal for this time of year, but 8.17% lower than the same period last year.
Eastern India’s reservoirs are below both last year’s level and the normal level, raising concerns ahead of any prolonged rainfall gap.
Southern India’s reservoirs are at 20.98% capacity, sharply lower than last year and slightly below normal.
Several reservoirs, including Chandan Dam, Bhima-Ujani, Maudaha and Nanak Sagar, are nearly empty compared with normal levels.
India’s major reservoirs are only 28 per cent full, making the progress of the monsoon crucial for irrigation, drinking water supply and hydropower in the coming weeks.
The 166 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission had 51.92 billion cubic metres of water on June 11, 2026, against a total live storage capacity of 183.56 billion cubic metres, according to the commission’s latest bulletin.
This means 28.28 per cent of their total capacity is currently filled.
The situation is not uniformly poor. National storage is 15.8 per cent above the normal level for this time of year. But it is 8.17 per cent lower than the 56.53 billion cubic metres recorded during the same period last year.
While reservoirs in northern and western India are relatively better placed, storage is under pressure in parts of eastern and southern India.
The eastern region, covering Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal, has 27 reservoirs monitored by the CWC. Together, they have a live storage capacity of 21.76 billion cubic metres. As of June 11, they held only 4.74 billion cubic metres, or 21.77 per cent of capacity.
This is lower than both last year’s level of 24.57 per cent and the normal level of 24.22 per cent for the period. Although agriculture in the region depends heavily on monsoon rainfall rather than reservoirs alone, low storage can increase risks for irrigation, drinking water supply and prolonged dry spells.
The southern region, which includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, is also under stress. Its 47 monitored reservoirs have a total live storage capacity of 55.29 billion cubic metres. They currently hold 11.60 billion cubic metres, or 20.98 per cent of capacity.
This is sharply lower than the 34.93 per cent recorded during the same period last year and slightly below the normal level of 21.24 per cent. Water levels in several major reservoirs in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana are already under pressure.
Karnataka’s Bhadra reservoir is at 3.17 per cent of normal storage, while Kabini is at 17.08 per cent. Tamil Nadu’s Vaigai reservoir is at 10.88 per cent. Karnataka’s Krishnaraja Sagar and Tungabhadra reservoirs are also below normal, at 33.47 per cent and 36.53 per cent respectively.
Reservoirs in northern India are in a stronger position before the monsoon. The northern region, covering Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, has 11 reservoirs with a combined live storage capacity of 19.84 billion cubic metres.
They currently hold 6.67 billion cubic metres, or 33.64 per cent of capacity. This is higher than both last year’s level of 28.67 per cent and the normal level of 28.79 per cent. Western India, covering Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, also has above-normal storage.
Its 53 monitored reservoirs have a combined capacity of 38.09 billion cubic metres and currently hold 11.86 billion cubic metres, or 31.13 per cent. This is slightly higher than last year’s 30.07 per cent and well above the normal level of 22.80 per cent. However, some reservoirs in Maharashtra remain under localised pressure.
The central region, covering Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, has 28 monitored reservoirs with a total capacity of 48.59 billion cubic metres. They currently hold 17.05 billion cubic metres, or 35.09 per cent of capacity.
The CWC bulletin shows that 66 of the 166 monitored reservoirs have more water than last year, while 93 have above-normal storage.
But several reservoirs remain in a worrying condition.
Twelve reservoirs have storage at or below 20 per cent of last year’s level, while seven are at or below 20 per cent of normal storage.
Thirty-seven reservoirs have half or less of the storage they had last year. Twenty-five have 50 per cent or less of their normal storage.
Jharkhand’s Chandan Dam, Maharashtra’s Bhima-Ujani, Uttar Pradesh’s Maudaha and Uttarakhand’s Nanak Sagar reservoirs are nearly empty, recording zero storage compared with normal levels.
Reservoir storage is above normal in several major river basins, including the Ganga, Indus, Narmada, Tapi, Mahi, Sabarmati, Godavari, Brahmaputra, Pennar and Mahanadi basins, as well as the west-flowing river basins of Kutch, Saurashtra and Luni.
Storage in the Krishna, Cauvery, Brahmani-Baitarani, Subarnarekha and some west-flowing river basins is close to normal. But storage in the east-flowing rivers between the Mahanadi and Pennar, and in the Barak and other river basins, is below normal.
The CWC also said nine of 20 hydropower project reservoirs have water levels at or below normal, which could affect power generation if weak storage continues.