Reservoirs Dwindle as Southern India Faces Severe Water Crisis

Monitoring data from 150 main reservoirs in India reveals only 22% live storage capacity, down from 23% last week. The southern region is particularly hard-hit with just 13% capacity. States in northern and eastern regions show marginal improvements, while several southern states face alarming water deficiencies.

According to official data, 150 main reservoirs in India have a total live storage of 39.765 billion cubic meters (BCM), amounting to merely 22% of their total capacity.

In the highly affected southern region, encompassing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, the reservoirs hold only 13% of their total capacity, a stark dip from last year's 23% and the ten-year average of 19%.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) reported that some improvement is seen in states like Assam, Jharkhand, and Gujarat, but water levels remain critically low in areas like Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and several southern states.