Water situation gets tough for Coimbatore
The drinking water situation is getting tough for the city and the suburbs as water level in the Siruvani Dam keeps dipping. The Coimbatore Corporation is putting up a brave face despite the water level being six-and-a-half feet less than last year. The water level was 29.57 ft on Thursday, as against the full reservoir level of nearly 68 ft. Last year, it was 36.25 ft on May 14.Consequently, the quantity of water drawn from the dam has been reduced from 68.5 million litres a day last year to 63 million litres now.
While the Corporation officially says that water is supplied on alternate days, many areas say water is provided only once in four days and duration of supply has also been reduced to an hour or two from three or four hours.
The situation is almost the same in the eastern parts of the city that is served by the Pilloor scheme. In the suburbs west of the city, such as Vadavalli and Veerakeralam, the supply is anywhere between 10 and 12 days because of the water level coming down in the Siruvani Dam.
Facing criticism over the pace of implementation of the Pilloor Phase II scheme, the Corporation does not want a scarcity in the Siruvani scheme to provide more ammunition to the attack by some Opposition parties.It fervently hopes that the South West Monsoon will set in on time in the first week of June.
According to the Corporation, the amount of water in the dam now will be enough to continue with the present supply for another 30 days. If the monsoon were to be delayed, the quantum of drawal will be reduced so that a comfortable supply can be made for another 20 days.The Corporation and other local bodies pin their hopes on the forecast of early setting in of the monsoon.
The monsoon let the Siruvani scheme down last year, after ensuring that water overflowed from the dam for five years from 2004.Another letdown was that for the first time in 15 years, the catchment at Siruvani did not summer showers this year, according to the Corporation.MEAGRE RESOURCE: The Coimbatore Corporation pins hopes on the South West Monsoon as the water level in the Siruvani Dam is dipping.
