NEW DELHI: Water storage level in the reservoirs of 12 states in the country has declined as compared to the corresponding period last year, the Central Water Commission (CWC) today said.
Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the states having lesser water storage than last year as on July 3, CWC said in a statement.
The CWC data comes amid reports that the worst impact of a sub-normal monsoon is likely to be in western India with possible drought-like conditions in some areas.
The Western region comprising Gujarat and Maharashtra has 22 reservoirs with a storage capacity of 24.54 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM).
The total storage available in these reservoirs is 5.58 BCM, which is 23 per cent of total storage capacity. The storage during the current year is less than the storage of last year, the release added.
However, there is some good news for a few states, where the storage has been better this year.
While states such as Punjab, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are having better storage than the corresponding period last year, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have reported equal storage.
The Commission, an attached office of the Ministry of Water Resources, monitors storage status of 85 important reservoirs of the country on weekly basis.