India’s reservoir storage deficit narrows, but water stress persists
A revival in monsoon rainfall has replenished reservoirs in recent weeks, but storage remains below last year’s levels across most regions, keeping pressure on irrigation, rabi sowing and hydropower generation.
India's reservoir storage deficit has narrowed over the past month due to increased monsoon rainfall, providing some relief for irrigation and drinking-water supplies. However, storage remains well below last year's levels in most regions, highlighting ongoing water resource challenges, according to Central Water Commission (CWC) data.
Live storage in 166 monitored reservoirs stood at 109.11 billion cubic meters (BCM) as of August 13, which is 59.4% of their combined capacity. This was 19.6% below the 135.64 BCM recorded a year earlier, though close to the long-term average of 111.75 BCM. Storage was 80.44% of last year's levels and 97.64% of normal levels. The improvement came after stronger rainfall in July and the first half of August, but the progress has been uneven across regions.
The northern region had the lowest storage at 50.5% of capacity, while the western region had the highest at 78.78%.
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