The storage in India’s 150 major reservoirs dropped for the 34th week in a row with the level improving by 2 percentage points in the northern region but dropping below 30 per cent of the capacity in the rest four regions of the country this week, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed.

However, with the South-West monsoon setting in over Kerala and north-eastern States on Thursday, the situation will likely improve over the next couple of weeks. This should be a welcome relief with the kharif season set to begin in two days time. 

According to CWC weekly bulletin on live storage status of 150 reservoirs in the country, the storage in 140 of the reservoirs this week was below 50 per cent of the capacity. This week, the Rangawan reservoir in Uttar Pradesh went dry taking the overall storages that have zero storage to eight. Five of these are in the southern region. 

23 per cent storage

The storage in the reservoirs declined to 23 per cent of the 178.784 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity at 41.705 BCM. During the same time last year, the storage was 77 per cent and the average of the past 10 years was 94 per cent of the capacity.  

The southern region had the lowest storage, though they have continued to remain at 14 per cent of capacity for the third consecutive week, thanks to pre-monsoon rains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The region‘s 42 reservoirs were filled to 14 per cent of the 53.334 BCM capacity at 7.317 BCM. 

In Kerala, the storage was 30 per cent of the capacity, up a percentage point from a week ago, while in Tamil Nadu the level was 18 per cent of the capacity. In Karnataka, the reservoirs were filled to 13 per cent of the capacity and in Telangana, it was 23 per cent. 

In Andhra Pradesh, the level was 5 per cent of the capacity with the storage being 83 per cent below normal. Even in the reservoirs common for Andhra and Telangana, the storage was 7 per cent of capacity and it was 26 per cent lower than usual.

Himachal, Punjab situation better

In the northern region, the storage in the 10 reservoirs was 30 per cent (28% last week) of the 19.663 BCM capacity at  5.864 BCM.  In Himachal Pradesh, the situation improved with a 3 per cent above normal storage against one per cent below usual last week. In Punjab, too, the below normal situation improved to 20 per cent lower than usual from 28 per cent a week ago. However,  the level in Rajasthan dropped to 10 per cent below normal from 8 per cent a week ago. 

In the western region, the storage of the 49 reservoirs dropped to 24 per cent of the 37.130 BCM capacity at 8.833 BCM. While the surplus level in Gujarat dropped from 22 per cent above normal to 18 per cent, in Maharashtra the deficit increased from 14 per cent to 18 per cent. 

In the 23 reservoirs of the eastern region, the level was 28 per cent of the 20.430 BCM capacity at 5.645 BCM. In Assam, the Khandong reservoir is filled to capacity and its storage is 36 per cent higher than normal. But in Bihar, the level was 57 per lower than normal and in West Bengal, it was 25 per cent below the usual level.

In the 26 reservoirs of the central region, the storage dropped to 29 per cent of the 48.227 BCM capacity at 14.046 BCM. Among the States in the region, the level in Chhattisgarh was 32 per cent below normal and in Uttar Pradesh it was 24 lower than usual.

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