Water crisis in 17 big reservoirs of the country, know the condition of which state?

During monsoon, it is generally expected that rains will fill rivers and dams, which will reduce concerns about farming, drinking water and power generation. But, this time the picture looks completely different. Despite good rains in many parts of the country, a large number of reservoirs are still not filled to normal levels. In some states, many dams have reached the verge of drying up.

This is why water experts are considering this as a warning for the coming months. This means that even after the rains, the water crisis has not completely ended in many areas. If there is no good rain in July and August, then after Kharif, irrigation of Rabi crops, drinking water supply of cities and hydropower production may be affected. That means two pictures of flood and drought are visible simultaneously. At some places the rivers are in spate, while at some places the water level in the reservoirs is continuously decreasing.

Water decreased compared to last year

The latest report of the Central Water Commission (CWC) shows that the water level in 166 major reservoirs of the country is much lower than last year. Major dams in many states are running on less than half their normal capacity. According to the report of July 16, there is a total of 63.249 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water in these reservoirs, which is about 34.46% of their total capacity. Water has definitely increased compared to the beginning of July, but the storage is much less compared to the same time last year.

Where is the greatest concern?

The biggest concern is about states like Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, only 45.54% water is left in 693 dams and only 7 dams are overflowing. At the same time, in many major reservoirs of some states, only 10% to 30% of the normal level of water is left. It is clear that this time the distribution of monsoon was not uniform and due to insufficient rainfall in many catchment areas, the reservoirs could not be filled.

• The water level in many big reservoirs of the country is much less than normal.
• Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal and Rajasthan are among the most affected states.
• Only 45.54% water is left in 693 dams of Rajasthan, only 7 dams are overflowing.

The situation of reservoirs in the country has certainly improved, but the crisis has not ended completely. According to the recent report, less than 50% of the normal water storage was recorded in 17 major reservoirs of the country. These include Chandan Dam of Bihar, Under-1 of Gujarat, Coal Dam of Himachal Pradesh, Krishnaraj Sagar, Narayanpur, Tatihalla and Tungabhadra of Karnataka, Periyar of Kerala, Tawa of Madhya Pradesh, Aliyar, Lower Bhavani and Vaigai of Tamil Nadu, Kaddam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Singur of Telangana, Maudaha of Uttar Pradesh and Kangsabati Reservoir of West Bengal.

Even monsoon is not enough water

However, the number of such reservoirs was 34 on July 2, which has now come down to 17, but the water in these dams is much less than normal, indicating that the monsoon rains in these states are still not sufficient to fill the reservoirs. At the same time, out of 166 big reservoirs of the country, 57 have less than 80% water of the normal capacity. The highest number of such reservoirs are in Karnataka (10), followed by Maharashtra (8), Telangana (7) and Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh (4 each).

Rajasthan: 693 dams, but less than half water

The effect of weak monsoon is most clearly visible in Rajasthan. The total capacity of 693 dams in the state is 13,029 MQM, but only 5,932.96 MQM i.e. 45.54% water is left in them. Last year at the same time this figure was 63.88%. Drought-like conditions have developed in 20 districts and only 7 dams are overflowing.

Bihar: Many reservoirs in crisis

The water in the three major reservoirs of Bihar is much less than normal. The situation of Chandan Reservoir is most worrying, where only about 5.5% of the normal water level is left. This can affect both irrigation and drinking water.

Telangana: Even big dams could not be filled

The water in major reservoirs of Telangana like Kaddam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Singur is much less than normal. Only about 17% of the normal level of water has been recorded in Kaddam and about 28% water in Nagarjuna Sagar.

Karnataka: 10 out of 18 reservoirs below normal

The situation in many big reservoirs of Karnataka is also worrying. 10 out of 18 major reservoirs including Krishnaraj Sagar, Tungabhadra, Narayanpur and Tatihalla are below normal levels.

Punjab: Water level continuously low

Punjab’s major reservoir is at about 30% of its capacity. If there is no good rain in the coming days, the irrigation system may be affected.

West Bengal and Jharkhand

The water in Kangsabati reservoir of West Bengal is less than normal. There has been some improvement in Jharkhand, but many reservoirs have still not reached normal levels.