Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board officials here are worried over Kerala’s Irrigation Department reportedly drawing 50 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Siruvani reservoir, the primary source of drinking water for Coimbatore city.
Though the reservoir is in Kerala, Coimbatore has been drawing water as per an inter-State agreement.
Daily needs
The TWAD Board takes around 70 million litres a day (mld) to meet drinking water needs of Coimbatore.
As much as 60 mld is for the city. As against the Full Reservoir Level of 49.50 feet, the level on Friday was a little over 40 feet. With this, the board would be able to supply water till May-June, by which time the south-west monsoon is expected to set in and provide relief.
Official sources said that from Friday morning, Kerala’s Irrigation Department had opened two of the six sluices in the reservoir to draw around 50 cusecs. If Kerala continued to draw water for irrigation, meeting the drinking water needs of the Coimbatore city would be very difficult in the coming months. A team of engineers will visit the Reservoir on Saturday to assess the issue.
Senior TWAD Board officials say they came to know of the Kerala drawing water on Friday but were unaware of the exact quantity.
Meanwhile, the Coimbatore Corporation and TWAD Board officials have informed senior officials in Chennai of the situation, and they are expected to take up the issue with their Kerala counterparts.
The officials also said Kerala was trying to use the Siruvani as a bargaining chip to force Tamil Nadu to release water from the Aliyar Reservoir.
