India’s 3700 Dams to Lose 26% Water Storage Capacity by 2050; UN Study

India may face an alarming water shortage in the next three decades. Around 3,700 large dams in India are expected to lose up to 26 per cent of their original water storage capacity by 2050. This reduction in water storage will be due to increased sedimentation. This was revealed in the study made by the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

In 2015, India’s Central Water Commission predicted that out of 141 large reservoirs in the country that were over 50 years old, one-fourth had lost at least 30 per cent of their initial water storage capacity.

The recent UN study has analyzed data from more than 47,000 dams in 150 countries. As per the report, they have already lost 16 per cent of the original water bearing capacity. As per the report, dams in the United States will lose 34 per cent of their capacity by 2050, with Brazil estimated to lose 23 per cent, and China about 20 per cent of its original capacity.