East Flowing Rivers in India Face Severe Water Shortage

At least 13 east flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar have no water at the moment, according to an analysis of data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Key Points on East Flowing Rivers

• They include Rushikulya, Bahuda, Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Sarada, Varaha, Tandava, Eluru, Gundlakamma, Tammileru, Musi, Paleru and Munneru.
• Flowing through the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha through an area of 86,643 square kilometre (sq km), the rivers drain directly into the Bay of Bengal.
• Agricultural land in this basin is around 60 per cent of the total area and this situation even before the peak of summer is alarming.
• The storage in the basin has been on a continuous decline this year, according to the data released by CWC.

Other Basins of East Flowing Rivers

• Cauvery, Pennar and east-flowing rivers between Pennar and Kanniyakumari were also the worst affected, having deficient or highly deficient water storage.
• Meanwhile, the Ganga basin, which is the largest basin in the country, recorded water storage at less than half (41.2 per cent) of its total capacity. This is also lower than the corresponding period last year.
• Around 286,000 villages in 11 states are located on the Ganga basin where water availability has been on a decline. This is concerning as agricultural land accounts to 65.57 per cent of the total basin area.
• Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Mahanadi and Sabarmati river basins recorded 46.2 per cent, 56 per cent, 34.76 per cent, 49.53 per cent and 39.54 per cent storage relative to their capacities, respectively.

Droughts in East Flowing Rivers

• Several areas within the boundaries of the river basins have been experiencing ‘extreme’ to ‘exceptional’ drought
• Overall, at least 35.2 per cent area in the country is under ‘abnormal’ to ‘exceptional’ degrees of drought currently, according to the monitor. What is worrying is that out of this, 7.8 per cent area is under ‘extreme’ drought conditions and 3.8 per cent is under ‘exceptional’ drought. A year ago, this was 6.5 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively.
• States like Karnataka and Telangana have been grappling with drought and drought-like conditions because of rainfall deficits, which also left the country’s major reservoirs dry.

Current Status of East Flowing Rivers

• The live storage capacity in India’s 150 major reservoirs has dropped to 36 per cent of their total capacity, with at least six reservoirs recording no water storage.
• There are at least 86 reservoirs in which the storage is either 40 per cent or below. Most of these are in the southern states and in Maharashtra and Gujarat
• But a majority of the basins recorded less than 40 per cent of their live storage capacity. Out of the 20 river basins, for which data is available with the CWC, water storage in at least 12 was less when compared to the last year.  
• The river systems in India provide water for irrigation, drinking and domestic consumption as well as cheap transportation and electricity.
• Water shortage in the river basins gravely affect the socio-economic conditions, livelihoods and agricultural activity of the regions, which is dependent on the rivers for water supply.

Reasons For The Drying Of East Flowing Rivers

• Deforestation along the river banks and in the catchment areas has reduced the soil’s ability to retain water, leading to reduced groundwater recharge and lower river flows.
• Changing weather patterns, including irregular rainfall and increased temperatures, are affecting the flow of these rivers. Climate change can lead to prolonged droughts, reducing the water flow in rivers.
• The construction of dams and water diversion for irrigation purposes has also reduced the downstream flow of rivers, impacting the river’s natural flow patterns and ecosystems.
• Unregulated sand mining along the river beds has disrupted the river’s flow and caused erosion, leading to the drying up of river stretches.
• Urban expansion and encroachment along river banks have altered the natural flow of rivers and reduced the availability of water for the river.
• Limited awareness about the importance of river conservation and lack of effective conservation measures contribute to the drying up of these rivers.

Importance of East Flowing Rivers

• East flowing rivers typically originate from the Western Ghats
• These rivers often have substantial lengths and cover extensive catchment areas.
• They form an intricate drainage pattern across the Eastern Deccan plateau.
• East-flowing rivers contribute significantly to agriculture by providing fertile alluvial soil.
• Many of these rivers possess hydroelectric potential due to their flow characteristics
• Some rivers bifurcate or form extensive delta regions near their confluence with the Bay of Bengal.
• Industries along these rivers utilize water resources for various purposes, contributing to regional economic development.

Role of the Central Water Commission

• Central Water Commission is an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development.
• It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

Structure

• Central Water Commission CWC is headed by a chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.
• The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings namely, Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
• A separate Human Resources Management Unit headed by a Chief Engineer, deals with Human Resources Management or Development, Financial Management, Training and Administrative matters of the CWC.
• National Water Academy located at Pune is responsible for training of Central and State in-service engineers and it functions directly under the guidance of Chairman.

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