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As the monsoon gained momentum in the first fortnight of July, rainfall increased in some areas and the condition of reservoirs improved slightly. But despite this, the situation still remains worrying.
According to the latest bulletin of the Central Water Commission (CWC), as of July 16, 2026, 63.249 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water was available in 166 major reservoirs of the country, which is 34.46 per cent of their total capacity (live storage).
During the same period last year, this storage was 103.955 BCM, while normal storage is considered to be 64.427 BCM. This means that the current storage is only 60.84 per cent of the same period last year and 98.17 per cent of the normal storage.
Overall, the reservoir situation in the country is not only weaker than the same period last year but also remains below normal levels.
The situation was worse two weeks ago. On July 2, 2026, these reservoirs held a total of 47.725 billion cubic metres (26 per cent) of water. Subsequent rainfall in some areas has increased reservoir water levels, but compared to last year and normal storage, the situation as of July 16, 2026, remains concerning.
Despite improvements in the state of reservoirs across the country, the severe crisis has not completely abated. As of July 16, 17 major reservoirs still had less than 50 per cent of their normal water storage.
These include Chandan Dam in Bihar, Und-1 in Gujarat, Kol Dam in Himachal Pradesh, Krishnaraja Sagar, Narayanpur, Tattihalla and Tungabhadra in Karnataka, Periyar in Kerala, Tawa in Madhya Pradesh, Aliyar, Lower Bhavani and Vaigai in Tamil Nadu, Kaddam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Singur in Telangana, Maudaha in Uttar Pradesh and Kangsabati Reservoir in West Bengal.
Two weeks ago, on July 2, the number of such reservoirs was 34, but now it has dropped to 17. Despite this, the fact that these reservoirs are well below normal levels indicates that monsoon rains in these states have not been sufficient to fill the reservoirs.
Of the 166 reservoirs, 57 have less than 80 per cent of their normal storage capacity. Karnataka has the highest number of such reservoirs (10).
It is followed by Maharashtra (8), Telangana (7), Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh (four each), Gujarat (3), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal (two each) and Punjab, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram (one each).
According to the bulletin, the situation in West Bengal is the most worrying. Two reservoirs in West Bengal have only 18.66 per cent of their average storage capacity, a 55.83 per cent drop from normal. The Kangsabati reservoir has only 38.73 per cent of its normal storage capacity.
Furthermore, the average filling of eight reservoirs in Telangana is only 12.53 per cent, which is 46.59 per cent below normal. Of these, three major reservoirs, Kaddam (17.04 per cent), Nagarjuna Sagar (28.10 per cent), and Singur (38.23 per cent), are at less than half the normal level.
The situation in Bihar remains worrisome. Its three reservoirs are only 30.16 per cent full, 30.91 per cent below normal. The Chandan Dam is the worst, with only 5.47 per cent of its normal water level remaining.
Punjab’s only major reservoir is filled to only 29.65 per cent of its capacity and is about 35 per cent below normal.
While the monsoon has improved in Karnataka, 10 of the 18 reservoirs are still below 80 per cent of normal. Four major reservoirs, Krishnaraja Sagar, Narayanpur, Tattahalla, and Tungabhadra, are below 50 per cent of normal.
The reservoir situation in Jharkhand has improved somewhat over the past two weeks, but concerns have not completely subsided. The total water storage in the state’s six major reservoirs was 30.52 per cent of their capacity on July 2, which increased to 33.60 per cent by July 16.
Despite this, it remains about 19 per cent below normal levels. The state’s four major reservoirs (Konar, Panchet Hill, Tenughat, and Tilaiya) are still below 80 per cent of normal storage, while Panchet Hill’s water level is only 75.98 per cent of normal.
According to the CWC, four river basins are still in the “below normal” category. These include the east-flowing river basin between the Mahanadi and Pennar, the Cauvery basin, the west-flowing river basin from the Tapti to the Tadri, and the west-flowing river basin from the Tadri to Kanyakumari. Reservoir storage in these river basins is 20 to 60 per cent below normal.
