Two of three major reservoirs in the country had a storage level less than 40 per cent of their capacity, even as the overall level in the 166 key dams dropped to 33 per cent this week, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed.

In the southern region, storage dropped below 25 per cent with the reservoirs’ level in Karnataka and Telangana, two key States for kharif crops, slipping below 20 per cent. 

Though storage is higher than a year ago by 12 percentage points and 24 per cent more than normal, it could turn out to be critical in view of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting below-normal South-West Monsoon rainfall this year. 

Major concern

One of the major concerns is that the central and western regions, too, depend on the Monsoon for a good kharif harvest. Any failure could affect key crops such as pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals. The northern region may not face problems as they get irrigations via canals. 

The south-west monsoon makes up over 70 per cent of the country’s rainfall, and kharif rice makes up 80 per cent of the country’s annual production. Kharif nutri-cereals, pulses and oilseeds, such as soybeans, contribute to the annual production in a big way. 

In addition, various global weather agencies have predicted the emergence of drought-bearing El Nino weather anytime from now, with some even saying it could turn out to be a super El Nino. 

CWC’s weekly weather bulletin said the level in the 166 major reservoirs was 60.830 billion cubic metres (BCM) of the 183.565 BCM capacity. Of this, storage in 105 was less than 40 per cent, while in 21, it was less than 50 per cent.

Deficient rain in 29% of India

According to IMD, 29 per cent of the 725 districts in the country received deficient rainfall between March 1 and May 20. During January-February, at least 70 per cent of the country received deficient or no rainfall.

IMD has predicted that the South-West monsoon will make landfall over the Kerala coast on May 26, six days ahead of schedule. However, global agencies have warned that a dry period could emerge after June 15.

The level in the 47 reservoirs in the southern region this week was 24.21 per cent of the 55.288 BCM capacity at 13.386 BCM. In Telangana and Karnataka, storage was 19 per cent each. In Andhra Pradesh, the level was 35 per cent, while in Tamil Nadu, it was 33 per cent. In Kerala, storage was 22 per cent.

The 28 reservoirs of the central region, which had the highest storage this week, were filled to 39 per cent or 19.170 BCM of the 48.588 BCM. Dams in Chhattisgarh were filled to 55 per cent, while those in Madhya Pradesh were filled to 41 per cent. The level in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand was 34 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively. 

In the eastern region, too, storage was a bit worrisome, with the level in the 27 reservoirs dropping to 27.5 per cent or 5.994 BCM of the 21.759 BCM capacity. The level in Bengal continued at 12.7 per cent, while in the lone reservoirs in Meghalaya and Tripura, it was 60 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively. Storage in Odisha was down to 25.5 per cent, while in Jharkhand, it was 39.5 per cent.

Punjab: one of the best

The level in the 11 reservoirs of the northern region dropped to 40 per cent of the 19.836 BCM capacity at 7.932 BCM. Punjab had one of the highest levels in the country at 64 per cent, while it was 45 per cent in Rajasthan and 33 per cent in Himachal. 

In the 53 reservoirs of the western region, storage was 37 per cent of 14.348 BCM of the 38.094 BCM capacity. Goa’s lone reservoir was filled to 30 per cent, while dams in Maharashtra and Gujarat were filled to 30 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively. 

With the South-West monsoon all set to make a landfall and some north-east regions receiving heavy rainfall, the storage situation will likely improve over the next couple of weeks.

Published on May 21, 2026