The Hindu Business Line : Water in major reservoirs at 62.4% of full storage level

New Delhi, Aug. 13 Copious rainfall during the current monsoon season has resulted in the country’s 78 major reservoirs being filled to 62.45 per cent of their full storage capacity (FRL) as on August 9. This is way above the average live storage level of 43.42 per cent for the last 10 years at this point of time.

The 78 reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission have a combined full reservoir level of 134.24 billion cubic metres (BCM). As on August 9, these reservoirs were holding 83.834 BCM of water, compared to the average of 58.293 BCM for 1997-2006 on this date.

However, the current levels are lower than the 85.638 BCM on August 9, 2006 and 87.082 BCM on August 9, 2005, corresponding to 63.8 per cent and 64.9 per cent of FRL, respectively. All this only goes to show how good the rains have been during last three years, enabling the reservoirs to be filled to reasonable capacity.

On August 9, 2004, the total live storage was 49.653 BCM (37 per cent), while being 48.666 BCM (36.25 per cent) on the same day the year before.

The States where the reservoirs are filled to above the ruling national live storage average include Tamil Nadu (128 per cent of FRL), Uttar Pradesh (94.3 per cent), Kerala (92.6 per cent), Chhattisgarh (83.6 per cent), Punjab (82.6 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (79.8 per cent), Rajasthan (79.2 per cent), Maharashtra (75.3 per cent) and Karnataka (66.3 per cent).

There are many reservoirs that are now filled to 100 per cent capacity or nearabouts: Sholayar, Parambikulam, Aliyar, Mettur and Lower Bhawani (Tamil Nadu); Krishnaraja Sagar, Ghataprabha, Bhadra, Linganamakki, Hemavathy and Harangi (Karnataka); Panchet Hill (Jharkhand), and Mahanadi (Chhattisgarh).

Meanwhile, Sriramsagar in Andhra Pradesh hardly has any water at all. However, Andhra Pradesh’s two other major reservoirs — Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam — are 96 per cent and 83 per cent full, respectively.