India's reservoirs 62% full, but central region hit hard
India's big reservoirs are now just 62% full, even though that's a bit better than last year.
Thanks to a major rainfall deficit—56% less rain nationwide since January—water storage is dropping fast, with central India hit especially hard.
Things could get tough for drinking water and farming
With so little rain and shrinking water reserves, things could get tough for drinking water and farming this summer.
Only 1 in 5 reservoirs are nearly full, while over a fifth have less than half their usual water.
If the dry spell keeps up, storage will likely decline further as the country heads toward summer.
Southern states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are below 60%
Southern states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are below 60% capacity; Assam is down to just a quarter full.
Meanwhile, western India is doing slightly better at around three-quarters capacity—but overall, most of the country is running low on water.