NEW DELHI: There is good news on the waterfront even as the country is heading towards one of the harshest summers. Indian reservoirs are doing better than in the previous year.
They have stored more water as on April 20 compared to the corresponding period of last year. The water level is higher compared to the average in the last 10 years as well.
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC) reservoir storage status report, the live storage available in 146 reservoirs on April 20 is 95% of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 120% of storage of average of the last 10 years. There was a 2% increase in both categories of water level in early March.
On March 2, the reservoir live storage was 93% of the live storage of the corresponding period of last year and 116% of storage of average of the last 10 years.
Better live storage will help in providing drinking water in urban areas and for industrial use during the peak summer hours. These reservoirs act as buffers between large rivers and urban water supply networks, involving industrial users.
Experts see an increase in water level is due to excess rainfall in March and government preparation for El Nino conditions which may impact the Indian monsoon as it might control water release for summer crops.
“In March, the country received 26% above normal rainfall,” says Pradeep Kumar, former Commissioner at CWC. “Central India and Southern India received 206% and 107% above normal rainfall, which contributed to these reservoir levels” he adds.
The number of reservoirs having storage more than last year increased to 52 from 45 in early March.
However, reservoirs having storage of more than average over the last ten years are reduced from 99 to 91. States such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are having better storage than last year.
However, other experts say the micro-picture of positive development is different.
“Some critical states such as Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu having lesser storage than in last year for a corresponding period,” says Himanshu Thakkar of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.