In the last 12 days in June this year, the district has not received significant rainfall. This coupled with the falling water level in the Siruvani Reservoir has made the Coimbatore Corporation’s water managers worried.
Prof. S.P. Ramanathan, chief, Agro Climate Research Centre, TNAU, said the district had recorded no rain in June, since the start of the South West Monsoon season.
Only on Saturday, a couple of places in the district had received 0.5mm rainfall, well below the 2.5mm limit to consider it a rainy day. And, the total rainfall in the last 12 days was only four mm.
In the next few days, the district could receive rainfall, 3 to 4mm. Even in Kerala, the South West Monsoon rainfall had been not it used to be, he said and added that the district could see significant rainfall only in July.
Though Coimbatore was in the rain shadow region, it received good rainfall during the South West Monsoon season, which extended from June to September. The Agro Climate Research Centre had predicted normal rainfall for this year – 200mm as against the average 210mm.
The less-than-expected rainfall in this month has the city’s water managers in Coimbatore Corporation worried as the water level in the Siruvani Reservoir continues to fall. As of June 12, water level in the 49.50 feet reservoir stood at 12.99 feet.
In the coming days, the water level would continue to fall sharper in the reservoir.
With the available water, the Corporation supplied Siruvani water only once in 10 days to the wards that were dependent on it. The Corporation had also planned to divert water from the Pilloor drinking water supply scheme if the Siruvani water level further dipped, the sources added.
