New Delhi: The storage capacity of India’s 150 major water reservoirs has been declining for over eight months, with levels recorded last week at just barely a quarter of their full capacity, the Central Water Commission has reported.
The CWC’s Weekly Bulletin on live storage status monitors 150 reservoirs, which have a total storage capacity of 178.784 billion cubic metres (BCM). Overall, these 150 monitored reservoirs account for over two-thirds of India’s storage capacity.
“As per reservoir storage bulletin dated 24.05.2024, live storage available in these reservoirs is 43.293 BCM, which is 24% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs,” reported the CWC weekly bulletin published on Friday.
During the same period last year, the live storage available was 55.037 BCM. Not only is the current storage available less than last year, but it is also less compared to the average storage of last ten years.
The Hindu reported that the storage level, as recorded by CWC, had declined for th2 33rd consecutive week despite various parts of the country receiving widespread pre-monsoon showers.
As per the report, the main reason for the lower water level in the reservoirs is deficient rainfall since July last year after the emergence of El Nino, which leads to drought and prolonged dry periods in India.
“The prolonged dry period has resulted in even groundwater dropping alarmingly in cities such as Bangalore and parts of Andhra and Telangana. However, experts say that a couple of good showers can help improve groundwater levels,” it said.
Among the regions, the five southern states account for a total of 53.334 BCM of monitored storage capacity. But, it also recorded the lowest water levels at just 14% last year.
Out of the seven reservoirs which went dry, five are in the southern region, while the remaining two are in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
“A cyclone threat for the Bengal coast, which has resulted in heavy rains in some of the regions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, may help improve the storage levels over the next few days,” reported the newspaper.
