Jaipur, Aug. 8 -- Although the southwest monsoon has become more active over Rajasthan in recent days, the state's reservoirs continue to hold significantly less water than they did a year ago, raising concerns over drinking water supplies and irrigation if rainfall fails to intensify during the remainder of the season. According to the latest data released by the Water Resources Department, Rajasthan's 693 dams and reservoirs held 6,441.9 million cubic metres (Mcum) of water as of August 7, accounting for 49.4% of their combined storage capacity of 13,029 Mcum. While storage has improved from 44.5% recorded on June 15, it remains well below the 76.9% recorded on the same date last year. The state is currently carrying a year-on-year storage deficit of 3,581 Mcum-roughly equivalent to the storage capacity of nearly four Bisalpur Dams-highlighting the extent to which this year's monsoon has lagged behind 2025. The storage pattern also points to uneven rainfall across Rajasthan. The state's 23 major reservoirs, which account for more than half of the total storage capacity, are currently 58.97% full compared with 84.4% a year ago. Medium reservoirs have storage of just 35.9%, while the situation is most worrying in the 407 small dams, which hold only 20.4% of their capacity against 56.1% during the corresponding period last year. Out of Rajasthan's 693 reservoirs, 232 remain completely dry, 446 have partial storage and only 15 have filled to capacity. The situation is particularly severe among small dams, where 174 reservoirs-around 43%-have no water at all, compared with 58 dry reservoirs among the state's 286 medium and major dams. Jodhpur zone remains the worst affected, with reservoirs holding only 18.6% of capacity, a sharp decline from 54% at the same time last year....