south-india-faces-water-scarcity-as-reservoir-levels-plummet-to-record-low

Reservoir storage levels in southern India, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, have hit a critical low, standing at just 17 per cent of capacity, according to the latest bulletin from the Central Water Commission (CWC).

 

Released late on Thursday, the bulletin reveals that the 42 reservoirs monitored by the CWC in southern India have a total live storage capacity of 53.334 billion cubic meters (BCM). 

 

However, the combined live storage in these reservoirs amounts to a mere 8.865 BCM, indicating a decline compared to previous years.

 

This alarming figure is well below the storage levels at the same time last year, which stood at 29 per cent, as well as the ten-year average for the corresponding period, which was 23 per cent.

 

The dwindling reservoir levels signal worsening water scarcity, posing significant challenges for irrigation, drinking water supply, and hydroelectric power generation in these southern states.

 

In contrast, the eastern region, encompassing states like Assam, Odisha, and West Bengal, has shown a positive trend in water storage levels. 

 

The bulletin reports that in this area, 23 monitored reservoirs with a total live storage capacity of 20.430 BCM currently contain 7.889 BCM of water, representing 39 per cent of their total capacity. 

 

This indicates an improvement from the same period last year and the ten-year average.

 

However, the situation is less promising in other regions. In the western region, covering Gujarat and Maharashtra, the storage levels of 11.771 BCM account for only 31.7 per cent of the total capacity of 49 monitored reservoirs. 

 

This is notably lower compared to the storage levels of the previous year and the ten-year average.

 

Similarly, the northern and central regions also witnessed decreases in water storage levels compared to historical averages.

 

The comprehensive analysis provided in the bulletin categorizes reservoir storage across different river basins as "above normal", "near normal", “below normal”, or "critically low". 

 

River basins such as Brahmaputra, Narmada, and Tapi are labeled with better-than-normal storage levels, while basins like Cauvery and east-flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar are classified as highly deficient.