Storage in India’s key reservoirs surges past 40%

The storage in India’s 161 major reservoirs surged above 40 per cent of the capacity, with the country receiving 12 per cent surplus rainfall so far under the influence of the south-west monsoon.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the key reservoirs are filled to nearly 43 per cent of the 182.444 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity at 78.381 BCM. The feature of this week’s situation was that five are full, while two key reservoirs in the South — the Krishna Raja Sagara and Mettur (Stanley) reservoirs are nearly full. 

The water level is 89 percentage points higher than last year and 75 percentage points more than the normal (last 10 years situation). 

The situation is fast improving after the monsoon broke it ts 20-day hiatus after setting in early. The monsoon has covered the entire country much ahead of the schedule. 

Mettur and KRS nearly full

The storage improved in all the five regions, with the situation in the South better than the rest. In the 45 reservoirs in the region, barring Andhra, the level in the rest of the states was over 50 per cent. In Tamil Nadu, the storage was 91 per cent, boosting the prospects of Sambha crops that coincides with the kharif season. Besides the nearly-full Mettur dam, the Sholayar was filled to capacity. Overall, the level in the region was 54.12 per cent or 29.734 BCM of the 54.939 capacity. 

The 50 reservoirs in the western region were filled to about 45 per cent of the 37.357 BCM capacity at 16.693 BCM. While Goa’s lone reservoir was full, the reservoirs in Maharashtra were filled over 53 per cent and in Gujarat about 35 per cent. 

The storage in the 11 reservoirs of the northern region showed rapid improvement this week with the levels rising to 7.393 BCM or 37.27 per cent of the 19.836 BCM capacity. The dams in Rajasthan were 60 per cent full, while in Himachal they were filled to 28 per cent and in Punjab to nearly 35 per cent.

Further rise likely

In the central region, the level in the 28 reservoirs was 33 per cent of the 48.588 BCM capacity at 16.115 BCM. The storage in Madhya Pradesh was 36 per cent, while it was 30 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 27 per cent in Chhattisgarh and 21.5 per cent in Uttarakhand. 

In the eastern region, the level in the 27 reservoirs was 39 per cent of the 21.724 BCM capacity at 8.447 BCM. The situation in Bengal improved rapidly to 63 per cent this week, while it was 60 per cent in Assam. The storage was above 50 per cent in Mizoram, Tripura and Jharkhand. 

With the monsoon continuing to lash across the country, the storage will likely improve further. The India Meteorological Department has forecast that the country will receive 106 per cent of the normal rainfall in July.

This augurs well for the storage situation, besides improving the prospects for the kharif crop. 

Published on July 3, 2025