Storage in India’s 166 major reservoirs dropped below 30 per cent of the total capacity, even as nearly four of five dams were half empty this week, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) showed.With the South-West Monsoon making landfall three days behind schedule, the level was lower than last year, though higher than normal in the last 10 years.The CWC’s weekly status of the major reservoirs showed that storage dropped to 29.81 per cent of the 183.565 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity at 54.726 BCM. A year ago, the level was 58.303 BCM, while the normal was 46.152 BCM.East, South levels below 25%Storage in eastern and southern regions continued to be below 25 per cent, while it dropped below 35 per cent in the western region this week. Many parts of the country received deficient rainfall during January-May, resulting in the storage dropping below last year’s level. Data from the India Meteorological Department showed that the South-West Monsoon is currently 10 per cent deficient, with the eastern and north-eastern regions getting over 51 per cent lower rainfall. The southern region continued to have the lowest storage at 21.67 per cent or 11.979 BCM of the 55.288 BCM capacity. Though Kerala has begun to receive rain under the influence of the monsoon, four-fifths of its reservoirs were empty. In Karnataka and Telangana, the level was 16 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. Andhra and Tamil Nadu were better off with storage at 34 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively.The level in the 27 reservoirs in the eastern region was 26 per cent of the 21.759 BCM capacity at 5.05 BCM. Storage in Assam was 36 per cent, while it improved to 13 per cent in Bengal. The lone reservoirs in Meghalaya and Tripura were filled over 50 per cent and 60 per cent of capacity, respectively. The level in two other key agricultural States in the region, Odisha and Jharkhand, dropped to 21 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. El Nino worries lingerThe northern region had better storage compared to the other regions. The level in 11 reservoirs in the region was 7.524 BCM or 37 per cent of the 19.836 BCM capacity. Storage in Punjab was 54 per cent, while it was 44 per cent in Rajasthan and 33 per cent in Himachal.The 55 reservoirs in the western region were filled to 33 per cent of the 38.094 BCM capacity at 12.7 BCM. Storage in Maharashtra was down to 25.5 per cent, while it was 30 per cent in Goa’s lone reservoir. In Gujarat, it was 42 per cent. In the central region, storage in the 28 reservoirs was 36 per cent of the 48.588 BCM capacity at 17.473 BCM. The level in Chhattisgarh, the best in the region, was 51 per cent, while it was 38 per cent in Madhya Pradesh. Storage in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand was 31 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.With the monsoon setting in and advancing further into the country, the situation will likely improve over the next couple of weeks. However, the emergence of El Nino anytime now could be a worrying factor this year, according to analysts.Published on June 5, 2026