The storage level in India’s major reservoirs declined by 1 percentage point this week with the level in five States, including Kerala, falling below normal, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed.
According to CWC’s weekly storage bulletin on live storage of major reservoirs, the storage was 87 per cent of the 180.852 billion cubic metres (BCM) at 157.267 BCM capacity. It is higher than last year as well as normal (last 10 years). The storage dropped in the northern region but was unchanged in the remaining parts of the country.
Positive for Rabi season
Among the States, the storage in Punjab (-64 per cent), Himachal (-24 per cent), Rajasthan (-3 per cent), Kerala (-4 per cent) and Nagaland (-4 per cent) was below normal. The storage in 103 reservoirs is above 80 per cent, auguring well for the rabi sowing season that is currently on.
A major reason for the drop in the storage this week is that 17 per cent of the 723 districts from where data were received have not received any rainfall since October 1. Another 57 per cent received deficient or largely deficient precipitation.
The South-West monsoon, which is withdrawing, ended with 8 per cent surplus rainfall, while the North-East monsoon will likely emerge around October 15. The excess rainfall during the South-West monsoon has helped improve the storage level this year.
Region-wise
According to the CWC bulletin, the storage in the 11 reservoirs of the northern region was 64 per cent of 19.836 BCM capacity at 12.742 BCM. During the same time last year, the level was 83 per cent.
Of the 25 reservoirs of the eastern region, the storage was 85 per cent of the 20.798 BCM at 17.656 BCM, higher than last year.
The storage in the 50 reservoirs of the western region remained unchanged at 97 per cent (36.107 BCM) of the 37.357 BCM capacity. Twenty-eight of them were full and the level in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa was 95 per cent, 98 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively — all unchanged.
Of the 26 reservoirs in the central region, the level was 91 per cent - unchanged - of the 48.227 BCM capacity at 48.227 BCM. The level in Madhya Pradesh, a key agrarian State, was the highest at 96 per cent of the capacity, followed by Uttarakhand at 91 per cent.
In the southern region’s 43 reservoirs, the storage was 86 per cent — the same as last week — of the 54.634 BCM capacity at 47.109 BCM. Telangana’s storage was the highest at 99 per cent, followed by Karnataka at 93 per cent. Reservoirs common to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were filled at 95 per cent of the capacity. In the rest of the States in the region, the level was below 70 per cent.