Karnataka Water Crisis: Over 2,200 Lakes Half-Empty as Summer Heat Intensifies

Karnataka faces a growing water crisis as over 2,200 lakes fall below half capacity and 166 dry up. Reservoir levels remain low, raising concerns for rural areas, though Bengaluru may manage till May.

Bengaluru: The summer heat is getting more intense across the state, and it's making life difficult for everyone. The real impact is being seen on our water sources, especially the lakes that are lifelines for rural areas. The situation is quite alarming: out of the lakes managed by the Minor Irrigation Department, a whopping 2,268 now have less than 50% of their water capacity. This has understandably caused a lot of anxiety in villages.

This year's summer feels a lot harsher, and it's directly hitting the water levels in Karnataka's lakes. The Minor Irrigation Department looks after 3,788 lakes in total. According to their data from March 31, 2,268 of these lakes were already less than half full. With the sun beating down every day, the water is evaporating fast. If this trend continues, the situation could get really bad by May. This means villages that depend on these lakes for their daily needs will be in a tough spot until the rains arrive.

166 Lakes Bone Dry, 165 Still Full

Let's break down the numbers. The Minor Irrigation Department manages 3,788 lakes, which can collectively hold 109.91 TMC of water. But as of March 31, the picture is grim. A total of 166 lakes are completely dry, with not a single drop of water. The worst-hit districts are Belagavi, where 69 out of 291 lakes are dry, and Tumakuru, with 61 of its 426 lakes empty. Other affected districts include Bidar (20 dry lakes), Ballari (8), Chamarajanagar (4), and Mandya and Haveri with two dry lakes each.

Looking at the broader picture: 959 lakes have less than 30% water, while 1,143 are between 31% and 50% full. On a slightly better note, 1,355 lakes have water levels between 51% and 99%. And surprisingly, even in this heat, 165 lakes are completely full. Overall, the total water stored in these lakes is currently just 50.97 TMC, which is less than half of the total capacity of 109.91 TMC.

Reservoirs Are Also Running Low

It's not just the smaller lakes; the state's major reservoirs are also feeling the heat. Across the 22 main reservoirs in Karnataka, the current storage is only 138.04 TMC, which means they are just 25.94% full. However, there's a small silver lining: this is slightly better than the storage levels recorded over the past two years. For comparison, on April 9, 2025, the reservoirs had 127.55 TMC, and on April 9, 2024, the storage was at 74.75 TMC.

Is Bengaluru Safe From Water Cuts?

So, what does this mean for Bengaluru? The city's main water source, the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam, has a total capacity of 49.45 TMC. As of March 9, the water level was at 25.33 TMC. After we set aside the 'dead storage' (water that can't be used), there's about 16.96 TMC of usable water. Bengaluru gets around 1450 MLD (million litres per day) from the Cauvery river. To last until the end of May, the city will need an estimated 3 to 4 TMC of water. Given the current storage in the KRS dam, officials estimate that Bengaluru might just scrape by without facing a major water shortage this summer.