NEW DELHI, APRIL 20

The advancing summer has led to water tables in most reservoirs declining to new lows this year, affecting irrigation as well as generation of hydel power across the country.

The declining storage has forced many States to prioritise drinking water supply till the arrival of the South-West monsoon (in June), which is forecast to be normal this year.

Per Central Water Commission (CWC) data, the total water storage in 91 major reservoirs in the country stood at nearly 39 billion cubic metres (BCM) or 24 per cent of the storage capacity of 161.993 BCM. In the corresponding period last year, the storage level stood at 28.5 per cent of the capacity.

The current level is 1 per cent lower than last week.

Thirty-seven of these 91 reservoirs have hydel power generation facilities with an installed capacity of more than 60 MW each. As per the data released by the Central Electricity Authority, hydel power production in March (the latest data available), stood at 2,454 MW against the projection of 3,601 MW. Generation was also about 600 MW lower than in the corresponding month last year.

South worst hit

In the southern region, most of which reeled under a drought last year, storage levels have dropped to 15 per cent this year. This was followed by the northern region, which stood at 20 per cent. However, the current water levels are slightly better in the southern region over the corresponding level of 11 per cent last year. All other regions have lower storage than last year’s levels.

The CWC said that Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have less storage than last year. At the same time, water storage is somewhat better than last year in Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it said.

The impact of water scarcity is already being felt in Chotta Udaipur district in Gujarat, where wells have run dry.

According to the India Meteorological Department, most parts of the country have been experiencing a maximum temperature 2-4 degrees higher than normal since the beginning of the week.

Pre-monsoon showers over the South Peninsula and Eastern India, which have been normal to excessive till now as predicted, have provided some respite from the rising mercury level.

Drinking water tops use

“Drinking water has become a priority now,” said an official in Karnataka. Still, the water levels in Karnataka’s reservoirs are relatively better than last year. Water is being supplied to 132 villages in tankers this year as against 1,700 villages in the corresponding period last year.

In Kerala, there has been a turnaround since March 27, when the State government said it intended to declare nine districts, including Alappuzha, Idukki, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Wayanad, as drought-hit following an indifferent North-East monsoon last year.

The India Met Department, too, had predicted a serious drinking water shortage in these districts. But in the 23 days since, the picture has changed sharply, thanks to a surge in summer showers. As on date, the State has recorded surplus rainfall of 36 per cent, with only three districts showing a deficit, though not a very serious one.