COIMBATORE : With the water levels in the reservoirs dropping at a drastic rate, officials have advised the people in Coimbatore city to use the water sparingly and wisely.
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) officials have alerted people in several areas that water would be supplied once in 15 days and asked people to store water until the next supply.
The water level in the three major reservoirs including the Pillur Dam, Siruvani Dam and the Aliyar Dam which are the primary source of water supply to Coimbatore have been declining drastically over the past few days due to the scorching summer season.
Currently, out of the agreed 104.4 Million Liters per Day (MLD) of water, only a mere 35 MLD of water is being supplied from the Siruvani Dam to Coimbatore. Similarly, the water supply from the Pillur and Aliyar dams has also been reduced due to the dip in the water storage levels.
Coimbatore city has been facing an acute water shortage now as the water catchment areas of the dams received a poor amount of rainfall during the two monsoon seasons last year and there has been no rainfall in the areas this year so far.
In this situation, the civic body has slightly prolonged the water supply frequency to residential areas in the city. In certain areas, the water supply frequency has been doubled by the CCMC officials now raising concerns among the people.
J Subbulakshmi, a resident of Bagavathi Gardens told TNIE, “Earlier, we were receiving water supply once in every seven days. But now, it has been doubled. The CCMC OHT operator, who alerts the people about the water supply, informed us now that the next supply will be after 15 days and asked us to store the required water in drums. The situation is looking very bleak now.”
Coimbatore district collector Kranthi Kumar Pati has also announced a list of measures taken by the district administration and the CCMC to manage the water crisis situation in the district now.
For non-drinking domestic use, water is drawn from 2,649 borewells equipped with pressure pumps in the Corporation, municipalities, town panchayats and village panchayats. Up to 40 million litres of water is distributed to the public through Sintex tanks and public pipes. Also permission has been given to set up 50 borewells with pressure pumps in places where water is required and at present 29 bore wells have been constructed.
Steps are being taken to install five purifiers to purify borewell water and provide it as drinking water. Also, steps are being taken to purchase four new pressure pumps to supply water from water wells for non-drinking domestic purposes. If necessary, drinking water will be supplied through trucks, drinking water tanker trucks and rental trucks in the corporation and municipal areas, said the district collector.
Water which was supplied once in five days to residential areas is now being supplied once in 10 days and similarly areas which received water once in a week or so have been receiving water supply once in 15 days now.