Water levels in dams and reservoirs drop to 71 percent

23-Jan-2026 01:35 PM

New Delhi. According to the latest data from the Central Water Commission, water storage in the country’s 166 major dams and reservoirs has declined to 130.753 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is 71.23 percent of their total storage capacity of 183.565 BCM. However, this level is still 7 percentage points higher than the corresponding period last year and 23.5 percentage points higher than the 10-year average level.

As per the Commission’s report, except for the western region, water levels in the other four regions of the country have fallen below 80 percent. Even so, 155 dams still have water storage exceeding 80 percent of their normal average levels.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), since the beginning of 2020, rainfall has been absent or negligible in 91 percent of the country’s 726 districts, leading to a decline in reservoir water levels. From January 1 to January 22, 2026, nationwide rainfall stood at just 1.9 mm, far below the normal average of 10.6 mm. However, rainfall is now expected in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh, as well as in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala.