THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s that time of the year when the big question is on everyone’s lips. How will the capital city fare this year when it comes to drinking water? You really can’t blame anyone for asking. Summer 2018 is barely two weeks away. This time last year, the state capital was heading toward a major drinking water crisis on account of the drought.But this year the situation may not be that critical, say officials of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA). Nonetheless, both KWA and the Irrigation Department have ensured additional water storage to meet contingencies.
The Peppara dam, the chief source of drinking water for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation area, has adequate storage, KWA officials said. At present, the reservoir storage level stands at 52 Mm3 of water. The maximum storage capacity of the dam is 70 mm3. ‘’High-line areas that run dry during summer will be supplied with water tankers and alternate measures,’’ Leena Kumari, superintending engineer, KWA, said.
Last year, against all expectations, water levels in Peppara had dipped alarmingly forcing KWA to fall back on Neyyar which does not have a dedicated supply scheme for the capital city. Water had to be pumped from Neyyar into Peppara reservoir to supply potable water to the city from the pumping station at Aruvikkara.
On Thursday, the water storage levels in Neyyar dam stood at 83.35 metres. The same day last year, the storage was only 77.5 metres. The maximum storage level of the dam is 84.75 metres. ‘’This year we have ensured maximum water storage in the dam in view of last year’s drought. There should not be a problem this year,’’ a senior Irrigation Department official said.
Did you know?
Every day, the capital city requires 300 million litres of water to quench its thirst. In the summer months, consumption rises further. We are talking about the Thiruvananthapuram corporation area alone. And the overall consumption is rapidly increasing every year, putting a strain on resources. This has prompted the government to devise a water supply scheme for the city at Neyyar to augment the supply from Peppara.