The water level in India’s 161 major reservoirs dropped marginally this week, after increasing for two weeks in a row, as the south-west monsoon took a 10-day hiatus.

Data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed that the storage dropped to 55.519 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is 30.43 per cent of the total capacity of  182.444 BCM live storage capacity.

According to CWC’s weekly bulletin on the storage status in the 161 major reservoirs, the level was nearly 40 per cent higher than last year and 30 per cent higher than the normal (last 10 years) storage.

IMD data

Data from the India Meteorological Department showed that between June 1 and June 11, 72 per cent of the 728 districts in the country received deficient or no rainfall. The development comes on the heels of the monsoon setting in early on May 21 and the whole country getting excess rainfall in May.

Last week, the storage increased in eastern and southern regions, but declined in the other three. With the monsoon reviving after the hiatus, the storage could begin to improve from next week onwards.

According to CWC, the level in the 11 reservoirs of the northern region dropped to 27.47 per cent of the 19.836 BCM capacity at 5.449 BCM. The storage in Himachal declined to 15 per cent, in Rajasthan to 51.56 per cent, and in Punjab to 40.78 per cent.

Odisha level slips

In the eastern zone, the 27 reservoirs were filled to 24.82 per cent or 5.392 BCM of the 21.724 capacity. The storage in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram was above 60 per cent. The level in Odisha was down to 17 per cent and in Bengal to 28 per cent. 

The level in the 50 reservoirs of the western region slipped to 30.04 per cent of the 37.357 BCM at 11.223 BCM. The level in Goa’s lone reservoir improved to 50.5 per cent and in Maharashtra to 29 per cent. However, in Gujarat, the storage dipped to 30.86 per cent of the capacity. 

In the central zone, the storage in the 28 dams was 30.24 per cent of the 48.588 BCM capacity at 14.693 BCM. Barring Madhya Pradesh, where the dams were filled to 30 per cent, the level in other States was below that. In Uttar Pradesh, the storage was 26.02 per cent, in Chhattisgarh to 24.28 and in Uttarakhand to 11.85 per cent.  

Surplus rain to help

In the southern region, the level in the 45 reservoirs increased to 34.16 per cent of the 54.939 BCM capacity at 18.765 BCM. The storage in Tamil Nadu continued to be healthy at 76 per cent, while it dropped in Kerala a tad to 39.07 per cent. In Karnataka and Telangana, the situation improved with the dams filled to 32.47 per cent and 32.62 per cent, respectively. In Andhra Pradesh, the level dropped to 24.05 per cent. 

With kharif sowing on in various parts of the country, the higher reservoir level is expected to help in increasing the overall acreage. The India Meteorological Department has forecast surplus rainfall during the south-west monsoon this year. This will likely help in better production of crops.

After record production in rice, wheat and maize last fiscal, this year, too, farm production is expected to be better, based on various weather forecasts. Experts are pegging agricultural growth at over 3.5 per cent during the current fiscal. 

Published on June 12, 2025