Coimbatore: City’s water managers can relax as water level in the local reservoirs are comfortable enough to tide over the summer,
thanks to the copious rain over the last few days.
Not many would have forgotten the protests demanding drinking water during the last few summer seasons. This year though, civic body authorities say they could ensure uninterrupted water supply till the southwest monsoon sets in.
“Based on the existing water level at dams and current water requirements in the city, we could meet water supply demands till July 15,” said a senior official of the city corporation, adding that the storage level at dams was much higher compared to the previous years.
While 31 wards get 68 million litres per day (MLD) from Siruvani dam, 33 wards are supplied 125 MLD from Pillur dam. At present, with water level up to 20 feet, Siruvani dam has about 49,000 MLD storage. The total depth of the dam is 50 feet.
Recalling that the civic body has been pumping water from the dam round-the-clock using six motors and seven gen-sets as the water level had gone below the average storage level, an official, who is in-charge of water supply, said that the region has witnessed decent rainfall in the previous year, thus increasing the water level. This summer, the region around the dam received only 25mm rainfall.
In 2016, water supply was stopped for a few days due to lack of water, the official said. “We are at a much safer position when compared to the previous years. Also, the southwest monsoon is expected to start from June, which is almost a month ahead of the expiry date,” he said.
“We never had water shortage at the Pillur dam and instead it’s always the surplus water that we are dealing with,” said an official in-charge of water supply at Pillur dam, adding that of the total depth of 100 feet, the water level at the dam is over 83 feet.
The city also receives water from Aliyar dam and under Bhavani scheme. While about eight MLD water is being supplied to places including Kurichi and Kuniyamuthur from Aliyar dam, over 11 MLD is being supplied to Vadavalli and Koundampalayam areas.
“We have also been supplying water from Siruvani dam to these region as well,” the official added.