Water levels at key dams short of 10-year average: Central Water Commission

NEW DELHI: Water levels in the country’s major dams were at 27% of their capacity and well short of the 10-year average, possibly impairing the planting of crops and electricity production, especially in the southern and western states. The 91 major reservoirs held 43.394 billion cubic metres of water as of Thursday, 30% less than 61.878 bcm at this time last year, according to the Central Water Commission. The 10-year average is 58.710 bcm.

"It’s a worrying situation as kharif planting will begin in the next few months and rains are expected in June. We now need to conserve water for drinking purposes in some south and western states," said AB Pandya, former chairman of the CWC.

"In Punjab and Haryana, the planting of wheat and cotton may not reduce as irrigation is available. However, planting may reduce in south, where pulses, cotton, paddy and spices are grown." The CWC said the most deficient river basin was the Krishna, which caters to Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, where levels were 64% below the 10-year average. The Tapi river basin, originating in Madhya Pradesh and flowing to Maharashtra and Gujarat, was 39% below the average.

Pandya said the only hope is that monsoon rains will be better than the previous two years, when it was below normal. "We also have to ensure inter-linking of rivers, mostly originating from the Himalayan region, to lower our dependence on monsoon rains," he said.

Two years of consecutive poor rainfall have depleted the nation’s water reservoirs, which provide irrigation and drinking water after the monsoon season.