With the southern region most hit at just 15% total live storage capacity in reservoirs, the storage capacity this year is below the average of the last 10 years during the corresponding period, the Central Water Commission (CWC) data has revealed.
As of last Thursday, the southern region's reservoir capacity stood at 16%, dropping from 17% the previous week.
The bulletin from the CWC said the southern region has been severely impacted, with reservoirs operating at only 15% of their total live storage capacity. The data from the CWC shows that storage levels this year are lower than both the corresponding period last year and the ten-year average for the same period.
Nationally, out of 150 monitored reservoirs, the total live storage capacity is 178.784 billion cubic metres (BCM), approximately 69.35% of the estimated 257.812 BCM created across India. However, the live storage available in these reservoirs currently sits at 27%, down from 36% recorded last year and 32% on average over the past decade.
Compared with historical data, the bulletin highlights that the current live storage is only 79% of last year's levels and 92% of the 10-year average for the corresponding period.
The storage during the current year is lower than that of the corresponding period last year in all of the country while it is below the average storage of the last 10 years during the corresponding period in northern, eastern southern and western.
Reservoir across India hit
The southern region, encompassing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, has a total live storage capacity of 53.334 BCM. According to the reservoir storage bulletin dated May 9, the available live storage in these reservoirs is 7.921 BCM, constituting only 15% of their total capacity. In comparison, last year's storage during the corresponding period was 27%, and the 10-year average was 21% of the live storage capacity.
The northern region, which comprises Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan, has 10 reservoirs under CWC monitoring with a total live storage capacity of 19.663 BCM. The bulletin reports the current live storage available in these reservoirs at 5.759 BCM, representing 29% of the total live storage capacity. During the corresponding period last year, the storage was 37%, and the 10-year average was 33 per cent of the live storage capacity.
Similarly, the eastern region, including Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland, and Bihar, has 23 reservoirs with a total live storage capacity of 20.430 BCM. The live storage available in these reservoirs currently stands at 6.952 BCM, which is 34% of the total live storage capacity.
In contrast, last year's storage during the corresponding period was 31%, while the 10-year average was 34.2% of the live storage capacity.
The western region, covering Gujarat and Maharashtra, has a total live storage capacity of 37.130 BCM. As per the reservoir storage bulletin, the available live storage in these reservoirs is 10.339 BCM, which is 28% of the total live storage capacity.
Compared with last year's storage during the corresponding period (34%) and the 10-year average (29%), the current year's storage is notably lower.
Lastly, the central region, comprising Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, has 26 reservoirs under CWC monitoring with a total live storage capacity of 48.227 BCM. The live storage available in these reservoirs is reported at 16.687 BCM, representing 35% of the total live storage capacity.
While this is a decline from last year's 41%, it is an improvement compared to the ten-year average of 33% during the corresponding period.
