Water level down by 2 percent in 91 major reservoirs in India

The water level in 91 major reservoirs across the country is has gone down to 39% of their total capacity from 41% last week, the Union Water Resources Ministry said in a statement on Friday. As of February 15, there was 63.597 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water in these reservoirs. The latest levels in the reservoirs are 88% of the storage reported in the corresponding period last year, the statement said.

It is also 91% of the average storage over the last decade. Reservoirs in states such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have reported lower water levels than last year. Andhra Pradesh has reported storage levels equal to that in the last year. Major dams in Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have reported better storage levels vis-a -vis the corresponding period last year. The total storage capacity of all the major reservoirs is 161.993 BCM, which is about 63% of the total storage capacity of 257.812 BCM estimated to have been created in the country. Of the 91 reservoirs, 37 have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.