India's Srisailam at record-low late-October level; Kariba 3.4 m above last year

Srisailam is below even the 2023 drought year

Satellites measure the water level of lakes and reservoirs in metres (m) above a fixed reference surface. Higher levels mean more water is stored for power and irrigation.

• Srisailam stood at 252.73 m on Oct 27, down from 258.63 m on Sep 30 and 263.89 m on Sep 3.
• A year ago it stood at 268.56 m.
• This monsoon's peak of 263.89 m was well short of the about 268 m reached in 2024 and 2025.
• In the 2023 drought year, the mid-October level was 256.83 m.

Other Indian reservoirs are also behind last year, though not all

• Beas is at 414.82 m and already falling from a 417.82 m peak in September. A year ago it was 422.06 m, and its 2025 peak was 425.34 m.
• Jayakwadi is at 462.39 m, against 464.02 m a year ago. Its storage gain since the first satellite observation is 1.43 cubic kilometres (km3), against 1.96 km3 in September 2025.
• Manair, at 277.18 m, is above its October 2024 level. Hasdeo-Bango, at 356.36 m, is roughly in line with October 2024.

Kariba gives Zambia and Zimbabwe a bigger hydropower buffer

Kariba stood at 480.24 m on Oct 30, against 476.83 m a year earlier. Its storage change since the first observation is +11.71 cubic kilometres (km3), against -4.39 km3 last October. That gives hydropower a much bigger buffer going into a rainy season that El Niño threatens. The reservoir has been drawing down since a 482.29 m peak in early July.

Volta filled strongly and the Caspian keeps edging lower

• Volta (Ghana), which feeds the Akosombo dam, saw storage rise from -19.06 km3 in early July to +9.90 km3 by Oct 30. This is a strong seasonal fill.
• The Caspian Sea is at -28.80 m, down from about -28.53 m in late August.
• Lake Nasser is flat at around 178.6–178.7 m.