The total live storage in 150 reservoirs of the country monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC) has plunged below normal even as the monsoon entered its last leg. The level of water storage is even less than last year. The average storage of the last ten years is considered to be normal.
Despite the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s prediction of a normal monsoon this year, the country continues to face a deficit of 10%. August ended as the driest-ever in 122 years. The rains have been far below normal in as many as 10 subdivisions, especially large parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains covering eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, as well as West Bengal.
The water stored in reservoirs is not only crucial for feeding hydroelectric power stations but also facilitates irrigation during sparse rains. As many as 20 of the 150 reservoirs run hydroelectric projects. At present, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 117.699 BCM, which is 66% of their total live storage capacity. Last year, the live storage available in these reservoirs for the corresponding period was 153.086 BCM and the average for the last 10 years was 133.177 BCM.
Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, and Telangana have better storage than last year due to surplus rains. Ravaged by floods, Himachal Pradesh in fact saw 20% excess rains this season. However, the storage is far less than last year in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, as well as Tamil Nadu. The rainfall deficit in Kerala has crossed -41%.
WITHDRAWAL MAY BE DELAYED
The four-month-long rainy season comes to a close in September, when the monsoon begins to withdraw from the western part of Rajasthan (Jaisalmer and Bikaner) around 17th September. The entire process takes about a month, and by October 15 the monsoon retreats completely. However, this year, the withdrawal is likely to commence later than usual with the monsoon still active over the region.
A well-marked low-pressure area (LPA) has formed over northwest Bay of Bengal off the northern Odisha-West Bengal coast. The monsoon is expected to remain active over central India and western India till September 18 with widespread rains. “The low-pressure system will bring heavy rains over Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, east Rajasthan, and even Gujarat as it moves westwards over the next few days. So, the conditions for withdrawal of monsoon will develop only after this system dissipates, which may take another few days,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology at Skymet.
ABOVE-NORMAL RAINS TILL SEPT 27 AS PER IMD
According to the weather department, the monsoon activity will also gather pace over the next two weeks, and it has predicted above-normal rains over the country till September 27.
Once the current low-pressure system dissipates, another cyclonic circulation is expected to form over east-central Bay of Bengal after September 21, which is likely to move west-northwestwards towards north Bay of Bengal and bring rains over the central region.
In the north, a fresh Western Disturbance is also likely to impact northwest India from Friday night and bring scattered rains over the region.
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