Water level in reservoirs less than last year: Central Water Commission

The Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors the live storage status of 146 reservoirs in the country on a weekly basis

The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Thursday said the live storage status of 146 major reservoirs in the country is less than that of the same period in 2022 but better than the average storage of the last ten years.

The CWC monitors the live storage status of 146 reservoirs in the country on a weekly basis. Out of these reservoirs, 18 are hydroelectric projects with a total live storage capacity of 34.960 billion cubic metres (BCM).

According to the reservoir storage bulletin of May 25, the live storage available in these 146 reservoirs is 54.577 BCM, which is 31 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.

CWC said in a statement, "However, last year the live storage available in these reservoirs for the corresponding period was 57.221 BCM, and the average of the last 10 years' live storage was 44.343 BCM. Thus, the live storage available in 146 reservoirs as per the May 25 bulletin is 95 per cent of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 123 per cent of the average storage of the last ten years." 

The number of reservoirs having more storage than last year is 56, and the number of reservoirs having more storage than the average of the last ten years is 85, the CWC added. 

"The overall storage position is less than the corresponding period of last year in the country as a whole but is better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period," it added.

With regards to river basins, the CWC said better than normal storage is available in the Ganga, Indus, Sabarmati, Narmada, Tapi, Rivers of Kutch, Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, and neighbouring east-flowing rivers, as well as the Cauvery.

It is close to normal in Subarnarekha and the west-flowing rivers of the south, deficient in Mahi, and highly deficient in Nil, it said.

Normal storage means the average storage of the last ten years; close to normal storage means where the shortfall is up to 20 per cent of normal; deficient storage is where the shortfall is more than 20 per cent of normal and up to 60 per cent of normal; and highly deficient means where the shortfall is more than 60 per cent of normal.

The northern region includes the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan. There are ten reservoirs under CWC monitoring with a total live storage capacity of 19.663 BCM.

As per the Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated May 25, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 7.343 BCM, which is 37 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. 

"The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 28 per cent and the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period was 30 per cent of the live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during the current year is better than the corresponding period of last year and is also better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period," CWC said.

The eastern region includes the states of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, and Nagaland, and there are 21 reservoirs under CWC monitoring.

"The storage during the current year is better than the corresponding period of last year but is less than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period," it said.

The CWC monitors 49 reservoirs with a total live storage capacity of 37.130 BCM in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

"The total live storage available in these reservoirs is 10.815 BCM, which is 29 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 32 per cent and the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period was 24 per cent of the live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during the current year is less than the storage of last year but is better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period," it said.

The central region includes the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh and has 26 reservoirs under CWC monitoring.

The storage for central Indian reservoirs during the current year is better than the storage of last year and is also better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period, CWC said.

The southern region of the CWC includes the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, which have 40 major reservoirs.

"The storage during the current year is less than the storage of the corresponding period of last year but is better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period. Region- and reservoir-wise details are given in the following pages of the Bulletin," it said.