Drinking Water Scarcity
Despite rain at Siruvani Dam on Sunday,scarcity the drinking water situation in the city is causing concern in the Coimbatore Corporation. Political parties in the Coimbatore Corporation Council want the civic body to draw up contingency measures to tackle a possible drinking water scarcity. With the South West Monsoon having failed the Siruvani scheme till now this year, the parties want Mayor R. Venkatachalam to convene an all-party meeting to discuss re-scheduling of supply, repairs to bore wells and also to the motors that pump water from the Pilloor Dam. Heads of the parties in the Council say that people have already started confronting councillors in the wards with questions about the situation in the Siruvani Dam. “I have been apprising the people in my ward (no.71) of the situation in the dam and the impact the poor monsoon may have on the drinking water situation,” says leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Council P. Rajkumar.
“We need to prepare the people to face any eventuality. The all-party meeting should have been held by now, given the fact that Siruvani Dam has not had the normal inflow till now,” he says. The Mayor says the all-party meeting is delayed only because the Corporation wants to watch the situation at the Siruvani Dam for two to three more days. “If there is no rain till then, we will convene the meeting,” he says. Corporation North Zone Chairman and Communist Party of India (Marxist) councillor C. Padmanabhan says the Corporation should first take efforts for a balanced supply of drinking water.
“Some areas still get daily supply, while the rest get water on alternate days. If scarcity is to be tackled with once-in-four-days supply, it must be taken at a meeting after discussing various contingency measures,” he says. “But, the internal distribution system must be revamped to provide even supply to areas covered by both Siruvani and Pilloor schemes,” he says. Mr. Rajkumar says people will understand the need to re-schedule supply. But, the Corporation has to discuss this first with the party leaders. And, the decisions will have to reach the people through the councillors. This flow of information should not be delayed.
“Normally, we discuss the water situation in the Council. But, with the renovation of the building on, the Council meeting may not be held this month and, maybe, in the next also. Therefore, the water situation should be discussed at an all-party meeting,” he says. Communist Party of India member K. Purushothaman says: “People are already worried over inadequate rain. I have already asked for repairs to bore wells, so that these are in good working condition when drinking water scarcity hits us.”
Leader of the Opposition and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member V.N. Udayakumar points out that all the six motors at the Pilloor Dam must be in working condition. Two of them fail often. Only Pilloor water may be able to offset scarcity in Siruvani-served areas to some extent. Mr. Udayakumar says once-in-four-days supply may become inevitable if monsoon does not revive.
Mr. Padmanabhan feels that the release of too many bulk connections may cause further problems. Stating that this will cause further stress on limited resources, he wonders how a hospital can be supplied three-lakh litres of drinking water a day when the rest of the city or the suburbs suffered inadequate supply.
