South India hit by severe water shortage with reservoir levels falling further by 15%, CWC says

With the southern region being the worst affected with only 15% of the total reservoir storage capacity, the storage capacity this year is lower than the average of the last 10 years during the corresponding period, Commission data revealed central water plant (CWC).

The CWC analysis also indicated a weekly decrease in storage levels, affecting not only the southern region but also the country as a whole.

Last Thursday, the capacity of the southern region’s reservoirs stood at 16%, compared to 17% the previous week.

The CWC bulletin said the southern region was severely affected, with reservoirs operating at just 15% of their total storage capacity.

CWC data 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 active storage capacity is 178.784 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is about 69.35 percent of the estimated 257.812 BCM created across the country.

However, available storage in these reservoirs currently stands at 27%, down from 36% last year and 32% on average over the past decade.

Compared to historical data, the bulletin highlights that 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 of last year in the whole country while it is lower than the average of the storage of the last 10 years during the corresponding period in the north, east, south and west.

The southern region, encompassing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, has a total active storage capacity of 53,334 BCM. According to the May 9 Reservoir Storage Bulletin, the active storage available in these reservoirs is 7,921 BCM, which is 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 active storage capacity.

The northern region, which includes Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, has 10 reservoirs under CWC monitoring with a total storage capacity of 19,663 BCM. The bulletin reports the current active storage available in these reservoirs at 5,759 BCM, which represents 29% of the total active storage capacity.

During the corresponding period last year, storage was 37% and the 10-year average was 33% of active storage capacity.

Similarly, the eastern region, comprising Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland and Bihar, has 23 reservoirs with a total active storage capacity of 20,430 BCM. Active storage available in these reservoirs currently stands at 6,952 BCM, or 34% of the total active storage capacity.

In contrast, last year’s storage during the corresponding period was 31%, while the ten-year average was 34.2% of active storage capacity.

The western region, covering Gujarat and Maharashtra, has a total storage capacity of 37,130 BCM. According to the reservoir storage bulletin, the active storage available in these reservoirs is 10,339 BCM, which is 28% of the total active storage capacity.

Compared to last year’s storage during the corresponding period (34%) and the ten-year average (29%), the current year’s storage is significantly lower.

Finally, the central region, comprising Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has 26 reservoirs under CWC monitoring with a total storage capacity of 48,227 BCM. The active storage available in these reservoirs is reported to be 16,687 BCM, which represents 35% of the total active storage capacity.

While this is down from 41% last year, it is an improvement on the ten-year average of 33% during the corresponding period.