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Informist, Thursday, Jul. 16, 2026

--Central Water Commission: Level of key reservoirs 63.249 bcm as of Thu 

--Central water panel: Level of key reservoirs 34.5% of total live capacity 

--Central Water Commission: Water level in reservoirs dn 39% YoY as of Thu 

--Central Water Commission: Level of reservoirs down nearly 2% from 10-yr avg 

MUMBAI – The water level in 166 key reservoirs across the country was at 63.249 billion cubic metres as of Thursday, down over 39% from 103.955 billion cubic metres a year ago, according to data from the Central Water Commission. The current water level accounted for only 34.5% of the total live storage capacity, and was 2% below the average storage over the past 10 years, the data showed.

The steep drawdown in water reservoirs comes amid a delayed onset of the monsoon and sub-par rainfall so far, particularly in June. On Thursday, rainfall across the country was 57% below normal at 4.3 millimetres, and the cumulative rainfall from Jun. 1-Jul. 16 was 24% below the normal at 231.3 mm, India Meteorological Department data showed.

All regions had significantly lower water levels than last years, and water storage fell below 50% of the capacity. 

The water level in the southern region was 15.69 billion cubic metres, or 28.4% of the total live storage capacity of the 47 reservoirs, according to the data. The region includes Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. At this time last year, the water level was 65.3% of the total live storage capacity.

In the eastern region, the water level in reservoirs was 6.20 billion cubic metres, or 28.5% of the total live storage capacity, compared with 49.3% a year ago. The region comprises Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura, Nagaland, West Bengal, and Bihar.

Reservoirs in the western region held nearly 6.94 billion cubic metres, or 44.5% of the total live storage capacity of 53 reservoirs in the region, down from 60.4% a year ago. The western region includes Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa.

The water level in reservoirs in the northern region, which includes Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab, was nearly 6.56 billion cubic metres as of Thursday, 33% of the total live capacity. In the same period last year, the water level was 44.8% of the total capacity.

In the central region, which includes Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh, the water level in reservoirs was 17.86 billion cubic metres. As of Thursday, the water level was nearly 36.8% of the total live storage capacity, compared with 52% a year ago.  End

Reported by Afra Abubacker

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

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