Why are Telangana’s reservoirs still running dry this monsoon?
HYDERABAD: More than a month into the monsoon season, Telangana’s eight major reservoirs continue to record the lowest live storage in the country, holding just 12.92% of their total live capacity at Full Reservoir Level (FRL).
CWC data shows sharp year-on-year decline
According to the latest data from the Central Water Commission (CWC), the eight reservoirs — Kadam, Nagarjunasagar, Lower Manair, Musi Project, Nizamsagar, Jurala, Singur and Sriramsagar — together have a live storage capacity of 344.7 tmcft at FRL. As of July 9, they held only 44.5 tmcft of water, compared with 104.5 tmcft during the corresponding period last year.
The figures indicate a steep decline in available water despite the ongoing monsoon season.
Storage continues to fall across most reservoirs
The combined live storage has also declined over the past month. It dropped from 57.21 tmcft on June 4 to 44.5 tmcft on July 9.
While Jurala, Musi and Kadam registered marginal gains during the period, storage levels in the remaining reservoirs continued to decline.
Nagarjunasagar records steepest drop
Nagarjunasagar, Telangana’s largest reservoir, recorded the sharpest fall in storage. Against its total live capacity of 180 tmcft at FRL, it currently holds only 6.53 tmcft, or 3.26% of its live capacity.
Its storage declined from 16.95 tmcft on June 4 to 6.53 tmcft by July 9, highlighting the continuing stress on the state’s water resources despite the progress of the monsoon.
