Water level in 91 reservoirs at 45 per cent of total capacity

New Delhi: The water level in 91 major reservoirs across the country is at 45 per cent of total storage capacity, according to an official statement. As of January 25, there was 73.029 billion cubic metres (BCM) water in the reservoirs. The latest water levels in the reservoirs are 91 per cent of the storage reported in the corresponding period last year, the Union water resources ministry said in the statement. The water stock is 91 per cent of the decadal average as well, the statement added. 

Reservoirs in states such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have reported lower levels than than last year. Major dams in Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have reported better storage level vis-à-vis the corresponding period last year. 

The total storage capacity of the 91 reservoirs is 161.993 BCM, which is about 63 per cent of the total storage capacity of 257.812 BCM estimated to have been created in the country. Thirty-seven of these reservoirs have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.