The water level in 91 major reservoirs across India has plunged to 27 per cent of their total capacity from 28 per cent last week, the Union Water Resources Ministry said today.
There is 42.973 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water available in the reservoirs, according to a statement issued by the ministry.
The latest levels in the reservoirs are 85 per cent of the storage reported in the corresponding period last year, the ministry said. It is also 90 per cent of the decadal average of the storage.
Reservoirs in states such as Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana have reported lower water levels than last year.
Rajasthan has reported a water storage equal to that available last year.
Major dams in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have reported better storage vis-a-vis last year.
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The total storage capacity of all the major 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.
Of the total major reservoirs, 37 have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.