India's reservoir storage slips to 70% as monsoon draws to a close
Storage in 178 reservoirs stands at 70% of capacity, below the 10-year average, as drought is declared in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Water storage in 178 reservoirs across India stood at 70% of their combined capacity as the southwest monsoon season neared its September 30 close, falling short of the decadal average of 76.62% for this time of year and below the 79% recorded a year earlier.
The assessment, dated September 24, comes amid drought declarations in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Southern India has been the worst affected. The region's reservoirs — spread across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — hold 50% of their capacity, or 27.926 billion cubic metres, against 87.25% a year ago. The region has recorded rainfall 23% below normal as of September 28.
In the east, 31 dams across Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal hold 16.157 BCM, or 73% of capacity. Except for Odisha and parts of West Bengal, the east and northeast have seen a seasonal rainfall deficit of 25%.
Northern India's 11 dams in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan have fallen to 62% (12.431 BCM) from 92.3% a year earlier.
In the western region, 58 dams across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa hold 32.664 BCM, or 84.61% of capacity, compared with 95.79% last year. The 28 dams in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand hold 41.568 BCM, or 85.55%, down from 91.89%.
The southwest monsoon supplies more than 70% of India's annual rainfall and replenishes the reservoirs and surface water bodies used for drinking water, hydel power, irrigation and other needs.
A factor behind the weak season has been El Nino, the Pacific Ocean-atmosphere phenomenon linked to erratic rainfall and above-normal temperatures. Rainfall deficits and dry spells since late August have been tied to its strengthening.
Nationally, rainfall was 12% below normal as of September 28. June ended 35.4% short, August 16.3% short and September 1-28 about 5% short, while July was roughly 1% above normal. With the monsoon about to withdraw, little improvement in reservoir stocks is expected this season.