Storage in India’s key reservoirs drops below 75% of capacity

The storage in India’s 166 major reservoirs dropped below 75 per cent this week, with the level in four of the regions dropping below 80 per cent of the capacity.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the level in the major reservoirs was  134.915 billion cubic metres (BCM) or 73.50 of the 183.565 BCM capacity. It was 7 percentage points higher than last year and 24 percentage points more than normal (the last 10 years).

Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that 89 per cent of the 724 districts in the country either received deficient or no rainfall since the beginning of the year till now. Though the country receives scanty rainfall during this period, it was still 73 per cent below normal at 1.8 mm against 6.7 mm.

Highest storage

The western region had the highest storage with the level in its 53 storage at 84 per cent, while in the northern and southern regions, it was below 70 per cent. The storage in at least 20 per cent of the reservoirs was above 90 per cent this week. 

In the western region, Goa’s lone reservoir was filled to 89 per cent, while the dams in Maharashtra and Gujarat were filled to 85 per cent and 82 per cent, respectively.

In the northern region, the storage in the 11 reservoirs was 13.298 BCM of the 19.836 BCM capacity. The level in Himachal dropped a tad below 60 per cent, while it was 64 per cent in Punjab, and it was 84 per cent in Rajasthan. 

In the southern region, the 47 reservoirs were filled to 37.780 BCM of the 55.288 BCM capacity. The level in Andhra reservoirs was 82 per cent, while it was 64 per cent in Telangana. In Tamil Nadu, the storage was 74 per cent, while in Karnataka and Kerala, it was 62 per cent and 68 per cent.

South’s level lower than last year

In the eastern region’s 27 reservoirs, the level was 15.44 BCM or 71 per cent of the 21.759 BCM capacity. Meghalaya’s lone reservoir was back brimming, while the storage was 75 per cent each in Odisha and Tripura. Among other States, the level in Jharkhand was 69 per cent and 52 per cent in West Bengal. In Assam, the storage was down to 33 per cent.

The 28 reservoirs of the Central region were filled to 75 per cent of the 48.588 BCM capacity at 36.489 BCM. The storage in Chhattisgarh was 84 per cent, while it was 76 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, 67 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and 70.5 per cent in Uttarakhand. 

The level in the southern region was below last year’s storage this week. With IMD saying the North-East monsoon is set to cease and not predicting any major precipitation across the country over the next fortnight, the storage could decline further. 

Published on January 16, 2026