Water storage at just 23% in India’s key reservoirs

Amid a relentless heatwave in many parts of the country, water storage in India’s key reservoirs was down to just 23 per cent of their total capacity. This is not only less than the storage of last year during the same period, but also less than the average storage of last 10 years.

At least eight reservoirs had zero storage, as per data released by Central Water Commission (CWC) on May 30 for 150 major reservoirs. These were in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh (AP), and Uttarakhand.

There were four others which had less than 10 per cent storage — in the states of AP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.

The low water availability in reservoirs can affect the yields of summer crops (sown between the Rabi and Kharif seasons).

Farmers are hopeful about the forecast of an ‘above normal’ southwest monsoon so that it brings enough rains for them to successfully undertake sowing of the Kharif crop.

The southern region — consisting of AP, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — was the most affected, as per the data. The 42 reservoirs in this region have a total capacity of 53.334 BCM (billion cubic metres), with current storage at just 7.455 BCM (14 per cent). This is significantly lower than last year’s 25 per cent and the normal 20 per cent.

Even Gujarat and Maharashtra, which have 49 reservoirs between them, were facing lower water storages — total live storage available in these reservoirs was 8.833 BCM which is 24 per cent of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.

In the northern, eastern, and central region, available storage was just 30 per cent, 28 per cent, and 29.1 per cent respectively of the total capacities of reservoirs.

Meanwhile, at least 13 east-flowing rivers between the Mahanadi and Pennar continued to have no water for a straight nine weeks now.

These included Rushikulya, Bahuda, Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Sarada, Varaha, Tandava, Eluru, Gundlakamma, Tammileru, Musi, Paleru and Munneru. 

Flowing through the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha through an area of 86,643 square kilometres (sq km), the rivers drain directly into the Bay of Bengal. The important urban centers in the combined basin included Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari, Srikakulam and Kakinada.

The river systems in India provide water for irrigation, drinking and domestic consumption as well as cheap transportation and electricity. Water shortage in the river basins gravely affect the socio-economic conditions, livelihoods and agricultural activity of the regions, which is dependent on the rivers for water supply.

Of the 19 river basins, 18 had below 50 per cent storage and only one — Brahmaputra — recorded 58.58 per cent of its total capacity.

Storage in the Ganga river basin was just 31.99 per cent of its capacity. This was less than last year’s storage but more than the ‘normal’ (average of last 10 years) storage for the corresponding period.