Reservoir Storage Level Increases by 126 %, Surpasses Last Year's Mark

Current water storage levels in pan-India show a rise of 126 per cent against last year's corresponding period and 119 per cent of the average of 10 years. As per data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the total live storage in these reservoirs stands at 144.333 billion cubic metres (BCM), accounting for 80 per cent of their total capacity.

This is an increase of 126 per cent against last year's corresponding period and 119 per cent of the 10-year average, referred to as 'Normal' storage. With the overall storage position being better than both last year's and the Normal storage levels, the CWC report reflects a generally favourable water storage situation across the country.

Notwithstanding the positive national outlook, the Northern region, encompassing Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, has recorded a decline in storage levels. On the other hand, the Eastern region, including Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland and Bihar, shows improvement.

The Western region spread over Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, shows an increase in storage levels. Similarly, the Central region, comprising Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has also positive trends in storage levels.

While river basins like the Ganga, Mahanadi, Narmada and Godavari, have reported better-than-normal storage levels, basins like the Indus and East Flowing Rivers between Pennar and Kanyakumari are seen as deficient.