New Delhi, Feb 25 (Inditop.com) Water available in the country’s reservoirs fell by over 23 billion cubic meters (BCM) after last year’s deficit monsoon, which was even lesser than a 10 year average, said the economic survey for this fiscal released Thursday.
“The total water availability in the reservoirs across the country at the end of monsoon 2009 was 90.48 BCM, which is less than the water availability of 113.74 BCM at the end of monsoon of 2008 and the average of 100.95 BCM for the last 10 years,” said the survey, a day ahead of the Union budget.
The total designed storage capacity at full reservoir level (FRL) of 81 major reservoirs in the country, monitored by the Central Water Commission, is 151.77 BCM.
The report said that the during the winter of 2009 (January-February) the country received 46 percent less rainfall than the long period average (LPA). In the pre-monsoon months from March to May there was 32 percent less rainfall than the average.
During the south-west monsoon season of 2009, the country as a whole received 23 percent less rainfall than the average and as many as 59 percent of the country’s districts recorded deficient or scanty rainfall, according to the report.
The report added that during the post-monsoon season between October and December, the country received eight percent more rainfall than average.
