Storage in India’s 166 key reservoirs dropped to 42.75 per cent of the capacity with the levels in four of the five regions in the country below 50 per cent, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed.
In its weekly status of the major reservoirs, the CWC said the level in the 166 reservoirs dropped to 78.481 billion cubic metres (BCM) of the 183.565 BCM capacity. However, storage was 16 percentage points higher than a year ago and 27 percentage points more than normal (past 10 years).
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), 30 per cent of the 725 districts received deficient or no rainfall between March 1 and April 16. This is apart from over 70 per cent of the country receiving deficient rain during the winter rain period of January-February.
Precarious south
The level in the 53 reservoirs of the western region was 51.33 per cent of the 38.094 BCM capacity at 19.552 BCM. Storage in Gujarat was 56 per cent, while it was 45 and 47 per cent, respectively, in Goa and Maharashtra.
The southern region remains to be the one region, where storage is lower than a year ago. The 47 reservoirs in the region were filled to 17.457 BCM or 31.5 per cent of the 55.288 BCM capacity. A year ago, the level was 34 per cent.
Storage in Karnataka and Telangana dropped below 30 per cent, while it was 33 per cent in Kerala and 40 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. The level in Tamil Nadu was 41 per cent.
The level in the 28 reservoirs of the central region was 49.6 per cent of the 48.588 BCM capacity at 24.098 BCM. Madhya Pradesh storage was 50.8 per cent, while it was 63 per cent in Chhattisgarh. The level dropped to 45.5 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and 35 per cent in Uttarakhand.
More dip ahead
In the 11 reservoirs of the northern region, storage was 20 percentage points higher than a year ago at 44 per cent of the 19.836 BCM capacity at 8.808 BCM. The level in Punjab was 68 per cent, while it was 38 per cent Himachal and 50 per cent Rajasthan.
In the eastern region, the level in the 27 reservoirs was 39 per cent or 8.566 BCM of the 21.759 BCM capacity. Storage in Bengal dropped below 15 per cent, while in Assam it improved to 17 per cent. The level dropped below 40 per cent in Odisha and it was 35 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively in Bihar and Jharkhand.
With the IMD predicting heatwaves and hot and humid conditions to continue, storage will likely drop further.
Published on April 17, 2026