Water levels in India's 13 major
reservoirs were recorded at less than 50% of their normal storage capacity
¨
By 14 May 2026, water
levels in 13 major reservoirs of India had fallen below 50% of their normal
storage capacity, and the Central Water Commission monitored 166 reservoirs
across the country.
¨
The total live storage in
these reservoirs declined from 71.082 billion cubic metres on 30 April 2026 to
63.232 billion cubic metres on 14 May 2026, which was 34.45% of the total
storage capacity.
¨
The Central Water
Commission is the national agency responsible for monitoring major reservoirs
and publishing weekly reservoir storage bulletins.
¨
The 166 monitored
reservoirs together account for a significant portion of India’s utilisable
surface water storage and are spread across various river basins and regions.
¨
By 4 May 2026, nine major
reservoirs had storage levels below 50% of their normal capacity. These
included Khandong in Assam, Chandan Dam in Jharkhand, Tattihalla in Karnataka,
Periyar in Kerala, Aliyar, Karaiyar and Vaigai in Tamil Nadu, Priyadarshini
Jurala in Telangana, and Kangsabati in West Bengal.
¨
Chandan Dam in Jharkhand
recorded 0.00% water storage on 4 May 2026.
¨
The Mettur Dam located in
Salem, Tamil Nadu recorded a water level of 79.165 feet on 17 May 2026, which
was below its critical storage level.
¨
On 5 May 2026, 36
reservoirs in the southern region had water levels below 40%, the highest among
all regions in this category.
¨
Reservoir levels in
Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West
Bengal were lower compared to the same period last year.
¨ Reservoirs in northern India, including those in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, recorded 41.37% storage on 18 May 2026.
¨ National reservoir storage stood at 63.232 billion cubic metres, which was about 124% of the normal storage level for the same period.
