CWC: Only 12% storage in east-flowing rivers between Pennar, Kanniyakumari

NEW DELHI: The east-flowing rivers between Pennar and Kanniyakumari have just 12 per cent storage, while the rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar basins have no water at present, according to the Central Water Commission data.

The data, issued on April 4, presents a stark comparison to the same period last year, highlighting a substantial decline in available water resources.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has detailed the state of water storage in reservoirs, noting that live storage capacity has dwindled to just 35 per cent of the total capacity. The reservoirs in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are experiencing a significant drop in storage, currently at only 20 per cent of their total capacity.

According to the data, the east-flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar had zero storage this year, having a 100 per cent departure from the decadal average. The east-flowing rivers between Pennar and Kanniyakumari have just 12 per cent storage, a 50 per cent departure.

According to the data, the total live storage capacity of 150 monitored reservoirs amounts to 178.784 billion cubic metres (BCM), about 69.35 per cent of the estimated total capacity of 257.812 BCM across the country. However, the actual live storage available in these reservoirs stands at a mere 61.801 BCM, representing only 35 per cent of their total capacity.

Nitin Bassi from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said their analysis of the Mahanadi river basin has suggested adoption of micro irrigation systems and altering cropping patterns could reduce the water deficit from 24 per cent (in a business-as-usual scenario) to about 18 per cent of the water supply requirement.

Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), highlighted multiple reasons for the decline in reservoir water levels, including reduced monsoon rainfall and changing rainfall patterns.

Thakkar said the degradation of catchment areas and groundwater depletion were contributing factors. “Last year, monsoons were lesser compared to 2022, which is one reason why the reservoir capacity is lower than last year,” he said, stressing that catchment degradation leads to faster rainfall runoff into rivers and reduced non-monsoon inflows.

The decline is evident when these figures are compared with the previous year’s data. During the same period last year, the live storage available was significantly higher at 74.47 BCM.

Similarly, the current storage levels fall below the 10-year average of 63.095 BCM, with the current figures representing 98 per cent of that average.