The water levels in these dams were 8% below the last 10-year average. However, lower water level is seen to have only a marginal impact on the rabi sowing, as most of the areas are covered under irrigation facilities.
Water levels in India’s 150 key reservoirs have fallen sharply to 19% below last year’s level due to deficient southwest monsoon rainfall and sluggish progress of north-eastern monsoon.
The water levels in these dams were 8% below the last 10-year average. However, lower water level is seen to have only a marginal impact on the rabi sowing, as most of the areas are covered under irrigation facilities.
Officials said while water levels in reservoirs in north (10), east (23), western (49) and central (26) regions are below the last year’s level, but the 42 reservoirs in southern regions currently hold water 44% below a year ago period and 26% below the last 10 year average.
Reservoirs in southern states currently fill up to only 48% of total water holding capacity. The north-eastern monsoon is likely to arrive in Tamil Nadu in the next couple of days which is expected to boost water reservoirs levels
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the overall water level of the country’s reservoirs stood at 129.63 billion cubic metres (bcm) on Thursday — 75% of their combined capacity.
A year ago, the water available in these reservoirs was 160.40 bcm, and the average of the last 10 years was 140.28 bcm. “Current water level of reservoirs was 81% of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 92% of storage of the average of the last 10 years,” the CWC said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday announced complete withdrawal of southwest monsoon from the entire country four days later than the normal date of October 15,
The southwest monsoon, which accounts for more than 75% of the annual rainfall, had commenced withdrawal from southwest Rajasthan, signalling the end of its four-month (June-September) journey.
The monsoon entered the Kerala coast on June 8, the most delayed arrivals in the last four years. This year it covered the entire country on June 2 against the normal date of July 8.
On September 30, the monsoon season officially ended with the country receiving rainfall just below the normal range at 94.4% of the benchmark – long period average (LPA) with factors like positive Madden Julian oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole countering the adverse effect of El Nino conditions.
Source:financialexpress.com