The water levels in 150 major reservoirs across India have plummeted to just 20% of their total live storage capacity, as per the latest data from the Central Water Commission (CWC). This marks a concerning trend of declining water reserves, with the levels dropping from 21% two weeks ago and 22% the week before that. The total live storage currently available is 36.368 billion cubic meters (BCM), indicating a critical situation for water availability in the country.

The CWC has reported a significant drop in live storage levels across 150 major reservoirs in India. According to the latest CWC bulletin, the total live storage available is 36.368 billion cubic meters (BCM) which is just 20 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs.

This is a significant decrease from 46.369 billion cubic meters (BCM) recorded during the same period last year and also below the normal storage of 42.645 BCM.

The total live storage capacity of these reservoirs is 178.784 BCM, which is about 69.35 per cent of the estimated total live storage capacity of 257.812 BCM in the country.

The northern region, comprising Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan, has a total live storage capacity of 19.663 BCM in 10 reservoirs. Currently, the storage level there is 5.239 BCM or 27 per cent of the capacity.

The eastern region, including Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland, and Bihar has a total live storage capacity of 20.430 BCM in 23 reservoirs.

The current storage level is 3.643 BCM or 17.83 per cent of the capacity, slightly less than the 17.84 per cent recorded last year.

The western region, comprising Gujarat and Maharashtra, has 49 reservoirs with a total live storage capacity of 37.130 BCM. However, the current storage is 7.471 BCM, or 20.12 per cent of the capacity.

The central region, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, has a total live storage capacity of 48.227 BCM across 26 reservoirs. The current storage level is 11.693 BCM, or 24 per cent of the capacity.

On the other hand, the southern region, covering Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, has a total live storage capacity of 53.334 BCM in 42 reservoirs. The current storage is 8.322 BCM, or 16 per cent of the capacity, down from 20 per cent last year.