Revision as of 18:37, 30 July 2016

2016

Monsoon delayed, just 15% water left

The Times of India, Jun 18 2016

Total water storage capacity of 91 major reservoirs, area-wise and kharif sown area as on June 17, 2016, crop-wise; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, June 18, 2016

Vishwa Mohan

Just 15% water left in 91 major reservoirs  The slow progress of the monsoon has meant water storage in 91major reservoirs has dipped further and overall availability stands at just 15% of capacity.This has not only hit initial kharif sowing but also availability of drinking water. Though the area under kharif will increase once rains sweep the entire coun try over the next few weeks, the current water shortages have shrunk the total area under rice, pulses, oilseeds and other crops, except sugarcane. As on Friday , the sown area under kharif crops was 10% less than that in the same period last year.

Water levels in key reservoirs dipped from 26.81 billion cubic metres on May 26, to 23.78 BCM on June 16. With water levels in key reservoirs already at worrying levels, the situation could turn desperate if the monsoon fails to pick up in the next four-five days.

Reservoirs in south India are the worst affected. Central Water Commission figures, released on Friday , show that water availability in 31 reservoirs in the south was 4.86 BCM on June 16 -just 9% of capacity .

Comparatively , the situation in the north is much better with water levels in the region's six major reservoirs at 23% of capacity .

Of the 91big reservoirs monitored by the CWC, 27 are in the west, 15 in east and 12 in central India.

Besides supplying drinking water to many cities and providing water for irrigation, 37 of these 91 reservoirs have hydropower facilities with installed capacities of more than 60 MW.

The total kharif sown area stood at 84.21 lakh hectares on Friday as compared to 93.63 lakh hectares at the same point last year. Surprisingly , the sown area under water-guzzling sugarcane as on June 17 was higher than its acreage last year -signalling farmers' preference for the crop that invariably gives better returns than pulses and oilseeds.In fact, sugarcane has already occupied more than 50% of the total sown area.

The NDA government's move to substantially reduce the dues of sugarcane farmers in the past two years also seems to have played a role in tilting the cropping pattern in favour of sugarcane. About 87% of the dues have already been paid for the 2015-16 season, indicating how the crop remains remunerative despite delays in payment by sugar units.

The decline in water storage in the big reservoirs can be attributed to two consecutive drought years.

The country had recorded monsoon deficits of 12% and 14% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Though it is normal for water bodies to deplete sharply in the pre-monsoon summer months, the CWC has been keeping a close watch on the storage in these reservoirs so that the available water can be distributed properly till the arrival of monsoon.

Most of these reservoirs get water during the June-September southwest monsoon, while reservoirs in Tamil Nadu get water during the October-December northeast monsoon.Reservoirs being monitored by CWC include Gobind Sagar (Bhakra) and Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh, Thein in Punjab, Rana Pratap Sagar in Rajasthan, Panchet Hill in Jharkhand, Hirakud and upper Indravati in Odisha, Ukai and Sardar Sarovar in Gujarat, Koyana and upper Vaitarna in Maharashtra etc.

12,000 springs dry up in Uttarakhand

The Times of India, June 23, 2016

12,000 springs dry up in Uttarakhand

A staggering 12,000 or one-fifth of Uttarakhand's natural springs have dried up, and several organisations have come together to draw up a proposal for their revival. To be forwarded to the Centre via the state government, the proposal -drafted at a workshop held by the Dehradun-based NGO People's Science Institute -seeks a Rs 500 crore grant for the project, which is estimated to take eight years. “The initiative will percolate to local communities, which will maintain the revived springs,“ Harshvardhan Dhawan of Arghyam Foundation said.

June 2016: The drought ends?

The Times of India, Jun 12 2016

Maharashtra's drought hit Latur district has received 65.1mm rain since June 1 -nearly 121.9% of normal rainfall, report Prasad Joshi and Syed Rizwanullah. Last year, it had received just 52.3% in the same month. Smart showers over the past few days have helped rejuvenate rivers in the district and the Terna river barrage. Besides Latur, three other worst drought-hit districts of Marathwada -Osmanabad, Beed and Nanded -have got more rain this month compared to last June.

See also

Droughts: India