A year ago, the water available in these reservoirs was 92.65 bcm, and the average of the last 10 years was 64.79 bcm.
Water levels in India’s key reservoirs were 26% below the last year’s record-high level on Thursday despite heavy rainfall in northern regions.
Water levels at the 40 reservoirs in southern regions have remained 45% below the last year’s level mainly because of deficient rainfall so far in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of the country’s reservoirs stood at 68.89 billion cubic meters (bcm) on Thursday, which is 39% of their combined capacity.
A year ago, the water available in these reservoirs was 92.65 bcm, and the average of the last 10 years was 64.79 bcm. “Current water level of reservoirs was 74% of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 106% of storage of the average of the last 10 years,” the CWC stated.
Currently, 48 reservoirs have more water than last year and 68 dams have more water than average of last decade.
Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland , Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have better water storage than last year.
Water levels in major dams in eastern regions especially in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, have 1% below the last year’s level however 4% more than that last 10 year-average level. In these states, a large segment of the crop area is still rainfed.
West Bengal, the biggest rice producing state in the country, has irrigation coverage of only 51%, which may be impacted if monsoon rains become deficient.
Because of surplus rainfall in north-western states, 10 reservoirs of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan have 37% more rainfall than last year and 32% above the average of last decade.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), overall monsoon rains have been 3% above the benchmark long period average (LPA) till Thursday. Rainfall in the southern peninsula is 17% below the LPA so far.
Northwest and central India regions have received 45% and 9% more rainfall than benchmark.
Source:financialexpress.com