NEW DELHI: India could be headed for a water shortage this hot summer. All major reservoirs have reported less water in them than in the previous year at the corresponding time. The reservoirs act as special buffers between large rivers and urban water supply involving industrial users.
This year’s deficit winter rainfall and record-breaking temperatures in February have already led to a loss of soil moisture and increased the farmers’ burden. It is now directly going to hit the drinking water needs.
As per data from the Central Water Commission, the current water level is 92% of the corresponding period of 2022. Volume-wise, last year, there was 94.027 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water in 143 major reservoirs, while this year, it is 86.45 BCM as of March 9.
Except for the northern region, the rest of the four regions of the country’s reservoirs have less water than in the previous year. In the eastern region, the situation is too grim as the water in reservoirs is quite less than the average of the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, experts have cautioned the government about the likely monsoon deficit. International meteorologists have indicated El-Nino conditions which may bring less rain during the monsoon.
“A major reason for the less water in reservoirs is the poor monsoon last year,” says Himanshu Thakkar of South-Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. “The monsoon was highly erratic and deficit, especially in the Ganga basin,” said Thakkar.
The monsoon was normal in 2020 and 2021, which resulted in water availability in reservoirs. Experts say the government should be prepared for the water crisis. “Recently, the Gujarat government said it would provide water to farmers for its summer crops. However, the Sardar Sarovar Dam’s water needs to be conserved to tackle the expected lean monsoon period,” said Thakkar.