New Delhi, July 22 -- After a scorching summer and late showers, the monsoon has picked up across the subcontinent, but water levels at India's major reservoirs remain sharply below last year's levels, raising concerns about insufficient irrigation and hydropower generation. Levels at 166 major reservoirs are 39% below those of a year ago, official data showed. This could likely have implications for the country's food security and energy needs. According to Central Water Commission data updated till 16 July, the major reservoirs held 63.25 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water, down from 103.96 bcm last year. These reservoirs, which together have a capacity of 183.57 bcm, are now just 34.5% full. Low reservoir storage may constrain irrigation for kharif and rabi crops, reduce hydropower generation and tighten drinking water supplies. It may also affect crop yields, raise food inflation risks and increase pressures on inter-state water sharing. Out of the 142.3 tonnes of foodgrain that India produced in fiscal year 2026 (FY26), 53% was harvested during the kharif season from June to October, when the south-west monsoon sweeps the country. Rabi crop sown in winter accounted for 41%, with the rest coming from the summer crop. According to Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda, a deficit in reservoir levels will affect agricultural crops, especially rabi that depends heavily on reservoir water, key for rearing cattle and drinking in rural areas, he said. The monitored reservoirs account for about 71% of India's total estimated live storage capacity of 257.812 bcm. Reservoir storage remained below year-ago levels across all five regions, with the southern region reporting the weakest storage at 28.4% of capacity, followed by the eastern region at 28.5%. While the northern region was at 33.1%, the western (44.5%) and central (36.8%) regions also trailed levels in the corresponding period last year. Queries emailed to the jal shakti ministry on 20 July remained unanswered. The replenishment of reservoirs has lagged, particularly in southern and eastern India, where rainfall has remained uneven. From a deficit of near 40% end June, the rain volume has now improved....