Water Levels in Dams and Reservoirs Below 70 Percent

30-Jan-2026 10:52 AM

New Delhi: Due to a lack of rainfall in most parts of the country, water levels in dams and reservoirs are continuously declining.

This could lead to a shortage of water for irrigating various crops during the extended Rabi or Zaid seasons. Currently, there is no serious threat to the main Rabi crops.

According to the latest weekly report of the Central Water Commission, the water stock in the country's 166 major dams and reservoirs has fallen to below 70 percent of their total storage capacity. Since the beginning of the year, the country has received 23 percent less rainfall than the national average.

According to the commission's report, the total storage capacity of these 166 dams and reservoirs is 183.565 billion cubic meters (BCM), while the remaining water stock is 126.354 BCM, or 68.83 percent.

However, this water level is 7.5 percentage points higher than the same period last year and 24 percentage points higher than the ten-year average.

Four reservoirs in the country are still completely full, while 51 reservoirs have more than 80 percent of their storage capacity filled.

Although there was rainfall in northwestern India during the third and fourth weeks of January, it did not significantly improve the water levels in the dams. Further rainfall is expected in this region.