Despite heavy rain in parts of the Nilgiris due to Cyclone Tauktae, availability of drinking water in the district remains a concern till the onset of the South-West Monsoon, especially in Udhagamandalam and Coonoor.
According to officials, an average of 12.89 mm of rainfall was recorded over a 24-hour period in the Nilgiris since Monday morning, while there was significantly more rain on Friday and Saturday, especially in Gudalur, Pandalur and Kundah taluks.
However, despite the rain, water level at the Parsons Valley Reservoir remains at around 20 feet, which is only around 30% of its total capacity. Officials from the Udhagamandalam Municipality said that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has stopped drawing water from the reservoir for generation purposes to ensure that water remains available to supply Udhagamandalam town till the onset of the monsoon.
Officials said that the water stored at the reservoir would be sufficient to meet the consumption demands of the town for the next month. Water levels had also increased slightly at the Kundah Dam, Upper Bhavani and Emerald Dams, officials said.
Minister visits relief camps
Meanwhile, Forest Minister K. Ramachandran visited temporary relief camps set up in Gudalur on Sunday, and spoke to the more than 140 persons who had been housed there.
In Pandalur, 47 persons had been moved to relief camps due to the rain as a precautionary measure to ensure that there were no injuries or loss of lives in the Nilgiris.
The Minister checked on whether the people housed at the camps were being given food, water and adequate shelter. He was accompanied by Nilgiris Collector J. Innocent Divya.
Mr. Ramachandran and the Collector later took part in a review meeting to ascertain the preparedness measures being taken to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in Gudalur and Pandalur.
