NEW DELHI: With the IMD predicting a harsh summer ahead, North and East India may experience water shortage. Water levels in the reservoirs of these regions are currently lower than that of last year and the average of over the past ten years, according to the latest data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Reservoirs act as special buffers between large rivers and urban water supply, including industrial users. Experts say that a huge deficit of winter rainfall in the Northern and Eastern regions might contribute to a lower water level, whereas extended monsoon rainfall in the Central, Southern, and Western regions contributed to an improved water level.
This year, the huge deficit in winter rainfall (-60%) between January and February caused soil moisture loss and increased farmers’ burden.
The country’s current water level is 119% of the live storage of the corresponding period last year and 115% of normal storage on February 27. Last year, there were 78.633 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 155 major water reservoirs, while this year, it is 93.529 BCM. Water storage during the corresponding period of the last year in North and Eastern India has a larger deficit of live storage capacity than South, West, and Central regions reservoirs.
The live storage position in 11 Northern region reservoirs is 5.582 BMC, compared to 7.7397 BMC last year. In the East, the current live storage capacity is 17.8 BMC compared to 21.1 BMC last year.
The live storage capacity in Southern region reservoirs is 24.421 BMC, compared to 15.451 BMC last year. In Western region, the current live storage capacity is 24.031 BMC compared to 20.118 BMC last year.