Overview of Water Resources in Kerala and Feasibility of Coastal Reservoirs to Ensure Water Security

Abstract

Kerala is rich with the beauty of nature, greenery, backwaters, rivers, etc. All the rivers are entirely monsoon-fed and many of them shrink into rivulets or dry up completely during dry months. The total runoff of all rivers adds to about 70,300 million cubic meters. The average rainfall of the State is reported as 3055 mm, which is double the national average. The water received as precipitation drains quickly into the sea due to the physiographical pattern and topography of the region. The farming activities get affected adversely due to the erratic rainfall pattern, which in turn affects the food security of the state. This paper presents the current scenario of water resources in the state and proposes alternative ways to ensure water security considering the unique geography of the state. The annual water demand of Kerala state is around 45.36 TMC feet and the total runoff of all rivers adds to about 2500 TMC feet. Kerala’s coast spans over 570 km and has excellent potential to store freshwater in coastal reservoirs. The capacity to store the water is huge without acquiring land and zero displacements of people. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.