Over 50 per cent of India’s 166 major reservoirs continued to be half-empty this week, despite six weeks of the South-West monsoon having ended.However, storage improved by 2 percentage points this week to 34.46 per cent of the 183.565 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity at 63.249 BCM. Only the Shetrunji reservoir in Gujarat is full, while the Aliyar dam in Tamil Nadu continues to be empty for the second week in a row. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon is 24 per cent deficient as of July 16. Data received from 738 districts as of July 15 showed that 59 per cent of the country has received deficient or no rainfall. Among the States, the situation in Telangana is precarious with the level in its 8 reservoirs being only 12.53 per cent. Storage in the two reservoirs in West Bengal was 18.6 per cent, while in Uttar Pradesh’s 8 dams, it was 22 per cent.The storage situation could be worrisome over the next few weeks, as there is a lull in the monsoon currently. However, the IMD has predicted a low-pressure area bringing rains over the eastern parts of the country.We present the situation in graphics below.Published on July 16, 2026