DHARMAPURI: The water level in the Cauvery River at Hogenakkal has been rising steadily over the last two weeks as Karnataka released surplus waters from its reservoirs. On Thursday evening, the flow in the river touched 2.05 lakh cusecs, which TWAD sources say is the highest so far this year.
But the strong currents and high turbidity caused disruption in the Hogenakkal Drinking Water and the Fluorosis Mitigation Scheme (HDWFMP) resulting in the suspension of the water supply. Ten days ago, Dharmapuri Collector K Santhi issued a notification advising people to use water sparsely due to the disruption. People in several areas complain they receive erratic water supply, and in some urban and rural areas drinking water is supplied once every seven days.
Speaking to TNIE, R Janakiraman from Bharathipuram, said, "The last time we got ample water was Friday and only yesterday (Thursday) we received some water. For the past six days, we have been struggling with a shortage of drinking water. Usually, we are provided water once every two or three days. This long gap has left us seeking bore water for daily needs. This is a problem as our groundwater has high fluoride content and cannot be consumed. The Municipality must ensure enough water is supplied."
M Selvaraj from Elakkiyampatti said, "We have been getting water from RO units located near Senthilnagar. We pay `7 for 20 litres of water. As the panchayat supply is unreliable we collect water from the RO plants here."
When TNIE spoke to officials in TWAD, they said, " The fluctuating water levels are the cause of increasing turbidity. If there is a steady flow we would not face such a problem.
The fluctuating inflows cause tree branches, waste, and plastics to be washed away in the Cauvery. We have four pumps to siphon 145 MLD to supply to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. If sediments compromise the pumps, it would be extremely problematic. We check the turbidity every hour and operate only two pumps every few hours. So we can only provide water to one area per day."
TWAD officials added, " On average, we could pump between 80 to 100 MLD of water. In some cases, we can provide even lower quantities of water. So this could lead to some problems in the water supply. But we have no choice. Usually, under such circumstances, we would not operate the pumps at all. As HDWFMP is the primary water source here, we are doing our best to prevent complete disruption. "