DINDIGUL: For the past three weeks across the Kodaikanal Municipality in Dindigul, the drinking water supply interval has extended from three days to a minimum of five days, pushing a majority of the households and commercial establishments to the brink of acute water shortage.
A Ravi, a long-time resident from Kodaikanal, told the TNIE that the municipality manages the water supply for the town, which lacks a proper water storage system or an overhead tank (OHT) to tackle emergencies. Rotary Club of Kodaikanal president D Rajkumar said,
“The population of Kodaikanal is estimated to be around 80,000 people, and they are completely dependent on piped water supply, as they do not have direct access to perennial water sources. Besides, with the summer fast approaching, the tourist footfall has started going up, which will also increase drinking water demand.”
Currently, freshwater flowing in the Keel Gundaru region — located seven kilometres away in Poombarai near Kodaikanal town — is being supplied to the 24 wards of Kodaikanal municipality. Water is stored in check dams in the region at the zero point, and supplied to the residential settlements through three large pumps.
Kodaikanal Hotels Association vice president Jinnah Bhutto told TNIE, “More than 4,000 commercial establishments, including small shops, hotels, and cottages, operate within the municipality, and all are grappling with water scarcity.”
On the contrary, civic body officials have dismissed water scarcity, terming the woes “temporary”. Kodaikanal Municipality Chairman P Chelladurai told TNIE, “One of the pumps was recently repaired, but the process took longer than expected. So a spare pump, costing `70 lakh, was installed.”