NEW DELHI: The water levels in the reservoirs in the southern Indian States are below normal despite the arrival of the southwest monsoon over a month ago. Notably, the levels are lower than in the same period last year.
The situation has severely impacted paddy sowing activities in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery Delta districts. Currently, reservoir levels in the Cauvery Delta basin are 24.5 per cent lower than normal, posing risks to agriculture if conditions do not improve in the upcoming weeks.
The southern region includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, where 47 reservoirs are monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC). These reservoirs have a total live storage capacity of 55.288 billion cubic meters (BCM).
According to the latest storage bulletin from July 9, the total live storage currently available in these reservoirs is 13.614 BCM, which is 24.62 per cent of their total live storage capacity.
In comparison, the storage for the same period last year was 60.36 per cent, and normal storage during this time was 30.18 per cent of the reservoirs' live storage capacity.
The situation in the Cauvery Basin is critical as the current storage level is 2.103 BCM, compared to a normal level of 2.787 BCM, which is 24.5 per cent lower than normal.
Last year, the storage level in the Cauvery Basin reached 94.56 per cent of its full capacity.
Last year, the monsoon began early and ended with surplus rainfall, while this year, the monsoon arrived slightly late and has been significantly deficient.
In Tamil Nadu, the current storage level is 1.5 BCM, compared to the normal level of 1.858 BCM, while last year's storage level was 4.383 BCM.
Similarly, in Karnataka, the current reservoir level is 6.034 BCM versus the normal level of 8.608 BCM, with last year's level being 16.306 BCM.
The deficient rainfall and lower storage levels have severely impacted paddy sowing for the Kuruvai season.
The kuruvaipaddy cultivation area in Thanjavur, a major region of summer paddy in Tamil Nadu, alone has dipped to around 89,000 acres this season from around 1,94,000 acres in the previous cultivation year.
The customary opening of the Mettur Dam for irrigation, which usually occurs on June 12, did not take place this year, leaving thousands of farmers in distress.
In response, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay announced a special package worth Rs 134 crore for the Kuruvai season.
Additionally, water levels in the reservoirs in north Indian states remain below the normal level compared to last year, while other regions, such as central, western, and eastern India, have above-normal storage levels.