Water Crisis Looms Over Southern India as Reservoir Levels in Five States Drop to 17% of Capacity

A water crisis is looming over southern parts of India as the storage level of 42 key reservoirs in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu has collectively reduced to 17% of the reservoir capacity. 

Central Water Commission (CWC) data shows that these reservoirs had 8.8 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water as of Thursday (April 25) against a total storage capacity of 53.3 BCM. The storage in summer 2023 was 29% of the total capacity, whereas the average storage of the last 10 years during the corresponding period was 23% of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.

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“Thus, storage during the current year (17% of total capacity) is less than the storage during the corresponding period last year and is also less than the average storage during the last ten years during the corresponding period,” said a weekly bulletin on the status of the country’s 150 key reservoirs, spread over five regions, monitored by the CWC.

Though water level in reservoirs of other regions, except the eastern region, too declined compared to the live storage during the corresponding period last year, reservoirs in the southern region showed the steepest fall.

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According to the Times of India report, 150 reservoirs across India collectively had 53.3 BCM of water on Thursday, which was 30% of the total live capacity of 178.7 BCM. Although a reduction in water level at this time of the year is not unusual, its sharp decline this year is quite worrisome, as the monsoon is still more than a month away from the country’s mainland.