-The Hindu Business Line While kharif crops will be affected, rabi crops have assured irrigation Depleted reservoirs and parched lands await the onset of the south-west monsoon. The water level in key reservoirs across the country is fast receding, going by data from the Central Water Commission (CWC). The storage levels in 91 reservoirs have dropped from 95.693 bcm (billion cubic metres) in September to 72 bcm in December and are now...

-The Hindu The way forward may be to not rely only on dams, interlinked rivers, and borewell drilling — but to supplant these with effective water conservation, storage and groundwater recharge For the past one week, The Hindu has explored the multi-faceted crisis of water scarcity that has gripped India this summer, through a daily series titled ‘Last Drop’. The series sought to give our readers a comprehensive understanding of six critical...

-The Indian Express According to a PMO statement, Modi called for a focus on medium and long-term solutions for “drought-proofing” Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to discuss the drought situation. The Centre and the states resolved to work together to mitigate problems faced by people against the backdrop of a severe water shortage. According to...

-Livemint.com Pulses use less water per unit crop and also address hidden hunger The severe drought across India should hopefully help focus attention on the overuse of water in agriculture. A data analysis by Roshan Kishore in this newspaper last week showed that the average water footprint for five major crops—rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane and cotton—is far higher than global averages. At the root of the problem is a policy framework that...

-The Hindu Water storage in major Indian reservoirs has dipped to 19% of their total capacity, according to a weekly update by the Central Water Commission on Thursday. On the back of consecutive droughts in 2014 and 2015, several parts of India have faced searing droughts. This has contributed to water in these 91 dams steadily falling to touch decadal lows since April but a top official said water levels had not...