New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- India's reservoir levels have rebounded in recent weeks, improving the outlook for rabi irrigation and hydropower generation. But the recovery is uneven: while reservoirs in western, central and eastern India are now above their long-term normal levels, storage in the northern and southern regions remains sharply below normal, according to Central Water Commission (CWC) data.

The national picture remains weaker than normal. Water storage in 178 monitored reservoirs stood at 130.55 billion cubic metres (BCM) as of 10 September, or 70.66% of their combined live storage capacity-6.9% below the normal level and 20.1% lower than a year earlier.

The reservoir position also matters for food prices, with water availabilit...