Overall storage position in India’s 150 major reservoirs is less than the corresponding period of last year
Photo: iStock Even as a seven per cent rainfall deficit remains in the third week of September, the last month of the southwest monsoon, the overall storage position in India’s 150 major reservoirs is less than the corresponding period of last year, according to Central Water Commission (CWC).
The levels are also less than the average storage of the last 10 years during the corresponding period.
Live storage available in these reservoirs was 126.463 billion cubic metre (BCM), which is 71 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs, according to the data released by CWC on September 21, 2023.
However, last year, the live storage available in these 150 reservoirs monitored by CWC for the corresponding period was 157.086 BCM and the average of last 10 years live storage was 137.00 BCM.
Usually, reservoirs are stored with water by the end of September from the monsoon rainfall and used for sowing and irrigation purposes of Rabi crops (winter crops) when water availability is low.
But as of September 21, agrarian states like Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh had storage less than their normal levels (average storage of last 10 years).
Bihar had the highest departure from normal storage levels — 95 per cent. Against the live capacity of 0.136 BCM, live storage was only 0.004 BCM, compared to last year’s 0.070 BCM and 0.087 BCM average of last 10 years.
The state currently has 30 per cent rainfall deficit, according to the data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The country experienced its driest August since 1901, when record-keeping began, and the effect is visible in its major reservoirs.
Region-wise, storage levels in the 42 reservoirs in the southern region were worrisome. The region had the lowest live storage available —25.569 BCM — which was 48 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.
The storage during corresponding period of last year was 92 per cent and average storage of last 10 years during corresponding period was 72 per cent of live storage capacity of these reservoirs.
The five southern states — Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala — had the highest departure from normal storage of 48 per cent, 61 per cent, 53 per cent, 29 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively.
The water levels in the Pennar river flowing through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in south India have become highly deficient.
The levels in the Subarnarekha, east-flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar like Krishna and Cauvery and west-flowing rivers between Tadri to Kanyakumari, as well as rivers flowing in Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu, have all become deficient.
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