Storage in India’s 166 major reservoirs has fallen below 60 per cent of capacity this week, with water levels in at least 28 per cent of dams falling below 50 per cent.
The level has fallen as winter rainfall is 58 per cent less from January 1 to February 25, with rainfall in the eastern and north-eastern region 90 per cent less, and the central region 77 per cent less.
According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), storage fell to 108.338 billion cubic meters (BCM), or 59 per cent of the capacity of 183.565 BCM.
The CWC’s weekly bulletin on storage in major reservoirs said the level is 12 percentage points higher than last year and 25 percentage points higher than normal (last 10 years). Levels fell below 70 percent in all five regions this week. Only 3 reservoirs are full compared to 4 last week.
South level below 40%
The 53 reservoirs in the Western region had the highest storage of 69.7 per cent or 26.557 BCM out of the 38.094 BCM capacity. Goa’s lone reservoir was filled to 71 per cent, while dams in Gujarat and Maharashtra were 70 per cent and 69 per cent filled respectively.
Storage in 47 reservoirs in the southern region fell to 27.606 BCM, below 50 per cent of 55.288 BCM. This is less than last year. In Karnataka and Telangana the level was below 50 per cent, while in Tamil Nadu and Kerala it was below 60 per cent. Dams in Andhra were filled up to 62 percent.
The level in 28 reservoirs in the central region was 63 per cent of the capacity of 48.588 bcm or 30.803 bcm. Chhattisgarh has the highest storage of 77 percent, while in Madhya Pradesh it is 65 percent. Dams in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were 55 percent and 54 percent full, respectively.
and the possibility of further decline
The storage in 27 reservoirs of the Eastern Region was 12.464 BCM, which was 57 percent of the capacity of 21.759 BCM. In Assam this level was 21 percent, while in Jharkhand and Odisha it was above 60 percent. In West Bengal and Bihar this level was below 40 percent.
The 11 reservoirs in the northern region were filled up to 55 per cent, 10.908 BCM out of 19.836 BCM capacity. Storage in Rajasthan was 68 per cent, while in Punjab and Himachal it was 63 per cent and 48 per cent respectively.
According to India Meteorological Department data, 78 percent of the country’s 727 districts have received little or no rainfall since the beginning of the year.
A low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal may bring some relief to the southern peninsula. But, the levels are likely to fall further in the coming weeks.
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Published on February 26, 2026
