India reservoir storage 64%, 18 points below year-ago level
Overall storage in 166 major reservoirs stood at 64.16% of capacity, 18 percentage points lower than a year ago. The southern region is the only one below 60%.
Alpha Score of 42 reflects weak overall profile with weak momentum, poor value, weak quality, moderate sentiment.
Storage in four of five Indian regions topped 60% of capacity this week. The overall level in 166 major reservoirs stood at 64.16% of the 183.565 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity, data from the Central Water Commission showed. That reading is 18 percentage points lower than the same period last year and about four points below normal.
Total live storage was 117.773 BCM. A separate commission figure put the level at 125.299 BCM, suggesting different measurement thresholds for some reservoirs. Eight reservoirs are full, five of them in Maharashtra, and 40 are above 80% capacity. The southern region is the only one where storage is below 60%.
The overall level masks an uneven distribution. Thirty-five percent of the 166 reservoirs are half-empty. The shortfall reflects a deficient south-west monsoon. As of Aug. 17, the rain deficit stood at 13%. With the monsoon expected to pause and El Nino conditions strengthening, the level could come under further pressure, the commission said.
The data raises the risk of tighter water supply for the winter rabi season, though the commission did not provide a crop-specific forecast. Water-intensive crops such as sugarcane, cotton, and rice rely on reservoir releases later in the year. Hydropower generation in states dependent on reservoir levels could also face constraints if the deficit persists through the remaining monsoon weeks.
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