Water level in North Indian reservoirs lower this year

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 28

The northern region is the only part of the country where the water level in major reservoirs remains below last year’s level, as the monsoon in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal has been notably below normal this year.

Latest data compiled by the Central Water Commission (CWC) reveals that the current storage available in six reservoirs in the northern region is 12.97 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is 72 per cent of their total storage capacity. The storage during corresponding period last year was 91 per cent and the average storage of last 10 years during this period was 75 per cent.

In the western, central and eastern regions, storage is better than last year as well as the average of last 10 years, while in the southern sector, the storage is better than last year but lower than the 10-year average.

Water levels in reservoirs located in Himachal are 16 per cent below normal, while in Punjab, though the level at present is nine per cent above normal, it is still below last year’s storage. The storage at Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam in Himachal is, at present, 64 per cent and 65 per cent of their capacity as compared to 91 per cent and 92 per cent, respectively, last year. Thein Dam in Punjab is filled up to 72 per cent of its capacity vis-a-vis 80 per cent last year.

Reservoirs in this region are dependent on rain and snow melt. The monsoon in the aforementioned three states has been less than expected. Indian Meteorological Department’s data shows that till this evening, Punjab had received a total of 325 mm rain this season against the normal of 393.1 mm, with the deficiency being 17 per cent below normal.

Rains in Haryana were deficient by 24 per cent, with the state receiving 285.9 mm rain against the normal of 376.5 mm. Himachal has a rain deficiency of 16 per cent. Lahaul Spiti in Himachal is the driest district in this region this year, with the monsoon being 79 per cent below normal, followed by Kurukshetra in Haryana with a deficiency of 70 per cent and Ferozepur in Punjab with 67 per cent deviation below normal.