KRS dam water stage in Karnataka dipped as a result of decreased monsoon fall this 12 months in catchment areas.
| Photo Credit: M A Sriram
Most of the major reservoirs in the southern States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are stuffed to solely 25% of their capability or much less. This is worrying as peak summer time is not far away. Some giant dams such because the Tungabhadra in Karnataka and the Nagarjuna Sagar on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border are stuffed to five% or much less of their full capability. Other giant dams comparable to Mettur in Tamil Nadu and Srisailam on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border are additionally stuffed to lower than 30% of their capability. The water crisis in Bengaluru might quickly hit different city centres and rural areas if this example continues in the next days.
Across India, the present water stage in 150 main reservoirs put collectively as a share of their whole capability stood at 38%, in response to the most recent weekly bulletin by the Central Water Commission.
Chart 1 | The chart exhibits a region-wise comparability of the present storage levels as a share of the full capacities of reservoirs. It additionally compares the present water levels with final 12 months’s levels, in addition to with the 10-year common.
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The chart exhibits that the southern area is impacted probably the most. All the reservoirs put collectively are stuffed to solely 23% of their capability in this area, which is about 17% factors decrease than the levels recorded final 12 months and 9 factors decrease than the 10-year common. No different area — central, west, east, or north — exhibits such a drastic distinction in levels in comparison with final 12 months in addition to the 10-year common. For occasion, in the northern and central areas, the reservoirs are stuffed to 33% and 46% of their capacities, respectively, much like the 10-year common levels recorded in these areas. In the western area, the reservoirs are stuffed to 45% of their capability, barely increased than their 10-year common, whereas the 49% recorded in the jap area was solely marginally decrease than the 10-year common.
Also learn:A possible solution for Bengaluru’s water crisis: Data
Among the southern States, a comparability of the capacities of particular person reservoirs with their present storage exhibits that water levels in many are dangerously low. Charts 2, 3, and 4 present the present storage levels as a share of the full capability of major dams (chosen primarily based on their capacities), in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The record is restricted to these reservoirs noticed by the Central Water Commission in these States.
Chart 2 | The chart exhibits the present storage levels as a share of the full capability of major dams in Karnataka.
The Linganamakki reservoir in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, with a complete capability of 4.Three lakh crore litres of water, is presently stuffed to simply 22%. The Supa reservoir in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, with a complete capability of 4.1 lakh crore litres, is stuffed to solely 36%. The Tungabhadra dam in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka, with a complete capability of three.2 lakh crore litres, is stuffed to solely 5%.
Chart 3 | The chart exhibits the present storage levels as a share of the full capability of major dams in Andhra Pradesh-Telangana.
The Srisailam reservoir on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border, with a capability of 6 lakh crore litres, is stuffed to solely 15%, whereas the Nagarjuna Sagar dam on the identical border, with a capability of 5.1 lakh crore litres, is stuffed to a mere 4%.
Chart 4 | The chart exhibits the present storage levels as a share of the full capability of major dams in Tamil Nadu.
The Mettur dam in Salem district of Tamil Nadu, with a full capability of two.65 lakh crore litres, is stuffed to 28%.
Chart 5 | The chart exhibits the present storage levels as a share of the full capability of major dams in Kerala.
Kerala is the one exception among the many southern States, with most of its major dams stuffed to not less than 50% of their capacities, as proven in Chart 5. The Idukki reservoir is stuffed to 47%, the Idamalayar dam to 48%, and the Kallada and Kakki reservoirs to 50%.
Table 6 | The desk exhibits the share of districts, throughout numerous levels of rainfall deficits, throughout the 2023 South-West monsoon. For occasion, in about 27% districts of Kerala, rainfall deficit throughout final monsoon was 40% or extra.
It is necessary to notice that, like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, most districts in Kerala too recorded poor rainfall throughout the south-west monsoon final 12 months, as proven in Table 6.
rebecca.varghese@thehindu.co.in, vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in
Source: Central Water Commission
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