JOIN USThe water level in 91 major reservoirs in the country has dipped to 31% of their total storage capacity, according to a report by the Central Water Commission.
Around 48.42 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water was available in these reservoirs for the week, ending Friday, against the total storage capacity of 57.79 BCM, it said.
The southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu recorded low storage in their reservoirs. The water level in 31 reservoirs, under the monitoring of the commission, have a live storage of 6.23 BCM against the storage capacity of 51.59 BCM, which is 12% of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.
The storage during the corresponding period last year was 15% and the average storage of the last 10 years during the corresponding period was 23% of the live storage capacity of these reservoirs.
Thus, the storage during the current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and is also less than the average storage of the past 10 years during the corresponding period, the report said.
Ahead of the monsoon season, the Ministry of Water Resources has advised states to start working on water conservation projects and promote sprinkler and drip irrigation in agricultural operations to reduce wastage of water, a senior official in the ministry told DH.