The 2026 Southwest Monsoon ended with rainfall 12.6% below normal, with the southern peninsula experiencing a sharper 24% deficit. This shortfall has left major reservoirs across the country with significantly less water than both last year and their long-term average. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the combined live storage of 178 monitored reservoirs stood at 132.734 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is only 71.84% of their total live storage capacity.