Bhoothathankettu dam water level dips, leaves residents in the lurch
Data from Idamalayar dam as on January 17
- Maximum water level: 169 m
- Total storage capacity: 1089.80 million cubic metres
- Current water level: 158.42 m
- Gross storage: 788.34 mcm
- Gross storage: 72.34 per cent
KOCHI: The decrease in the water level in Bhoothathankettu dam has adversely affected water supply in many parts of Ernakulam leaving its residents in the lurch. The low water level has reportedly led to the increase of salt content in the Kadambrayar River, forcing Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) to curtail the supply of water to Infopark in Kakkanad over the last few days. Many companies were forced to direct their employees to work from home owing to the crisis.
The Idamalayar dam has for long been the primary source of water for Bhoothathankettu dam and thereby to the district. “As urbanisation continues, the demand for water is on the rise with each passing year. Idamalayar simply cannot cater to the water needs of the district anymore. This is the reason for the current crisis,” said James Wilson, a water management expert.
Of the total 81 dams in Kerala, the KSEB owns 59 which form 45 reservoirs, the Irrigation Department has 20 dams in its control while the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has two with the number of reservoirs equal to the dams in both cases. The Idukki and Idamalayar dams hold 48 per cent of the total storage capacity combined. The cumulative live storage capacity of all large reservoirs in the state, managed by KSEB, the Irrigation Department, KWA and Tamil Nadu Public Works Department together, comes to only 5.81 billion cubic metres (bcm), out of which 0.67 bcm is for the exclusive use of Tamil Nadu. The storage capacity available for the use of Kerala is 5.14 bcm.
Climate change and floods
According to Wilson, climate change is one prime reason why the state is not able to preserve water. “We record heavy rainfall for five-six days and then there is a cessation for the next 10 days or so. This dries up the water bodies and we are facing drought even during the rainy season.”
Find ways to preserve water
As the district faces a water crisis, the only way to tackle it is to implement effective ways to harvest water during monsoon. According to studies, despite the flooding over the last couple of seasons, the groundwater is not being recharged. There should be methods to augment the water level in the Idamalayar reservoir. Surface water storage is one way to stock water during the rainy season. An important step would be to install rainwater harvesting systems in houses and residential complexes. Groundwater recharging can be effectively implemented by directing the flow of rainwater into wells. As per the report, Water Resources of Kerala, 1974, the average annual runoff of all 44 rivers in the state was estimated at 78 bcm. Thus, Kerala stores only about 6.6 per cent of the average annual runoff, this is hardly enough to meet demand in lean summer months.