The water levels in 146 key reservoirs across India have dipped below the 10-year average as a result of slow monsoon progress over the past week. This decline in water storage has raised concerns about the potential impact on the agricultural sector and overall water availability.

During the week ending on Wednesday, August 16, the water levels in these crucial dams saw a drop of 1 percent below the 10-year average. This marks the first such decline in the current season, with the water levels plummeting by 18 percent compared to the same period last year. This stark reduction in water availability is mirrored in the recorded rainfall, which stood at a mere 260 mm, 58 percent below the expected normal levels.

According to data provided by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water storage in the 146 reservoirs as of Thursday, August 17, stood at 111.28 billion cubic metres (BCM). The collective water storage was 62 percent of their total capacity. Comparatively, this water volume remains unchanged from the previous week.

Last year during the same period, the reservoirs contained 135.88 BCM of water, and the 10-year average was 112.92 BCM.

The agricultural sector, heavily reliant on reservoir water for irrigation, faces potential challenges due to these dwindling water levels. Experts suggest that maintaining higher water levels in the dams could significantly benefit farmers and their crop yield.

The CWC emphasised that “the live storage available in 146 reservoirs as of Thursday is 82 percent of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 99 percent of the storage of the average of the last ten years.”

Geographically, the water levels in reservoirs in some regions witnessed notable variations. While states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Nagaland, and Chhattisgarh experienced better reservoir storage compared to last year, other states including Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala have reported lower water levels.

The southern region of India, consisting of 40 reservoirs, recorded water levels 34 percent lower than the previous year and 30 percent lower than the levels of the preceding week. Similarly, eastern India, with 21 major dams, reported a 14 percent decrease from the previous year and a 13 percent drop from the 10-year average level. This decrease can be attributed to a monsoon deficiency of 20 percent and 13 percent in east India and the southern peninsula, respectively.

Conversely, around 10 reservoirs in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan experienced a 15 percent increase in water levels compared to the previous year, owing to surplus rainfall in the northwest region. In western India and central India, 49 dams and 26 reservoirs respectively reported a 16 percent decrease in water levels compared to the previous year, and 6 percent lower than the 10-year average level.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as of now, the monsoon season remains in the below-normal category, with a 6 percent shortfall of rain from the benchmark long-period average between June 1 and August 17. Regions like east and northeast India, south peninsula, and central India are grappling with rainfall deficiencies of 20 percent, 13 percent and 4 percent respectively, during this four-month monsoon season.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)