Water in 91 major reservoirs down to 20 pc of total storage capacity: Water panel

Water storage in reservoirs of most states in west and south India has dipped to less than the average of last 10 years, the Central Water Commission said, indicating a worsening water crisis in these parts of the country.

According to the commission, the water level in 91 major reservoirs in the country in the week ending May 30 was one percentage point down compared to the week before.

"The water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country for the week ending on May 30, 2019, was31.65 billion cubic meters, which is 20 per cent of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This percentage was at 21 per cent for the week ending on May 23, 2019," the Central Water Commission (CWC) said.

Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have better storage than last year while the water in storage in Karnataka is similar to what it was in the corresponding period last year.

"States having lesser storage than last year for the ...