COIMBATORE: The incessant rain in Kerala has resulted in huge inflow to Siruvani dam and pushed the storage level in the dam up. On Monday, water level in the dam touched 44 feet against the capacity of 49.5 feet.
Officials of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board expressed hope that there would not be a drinking water crisis in the district during the summer next year. The dam, one of the main water sources for Coimbatore, is maintained by Kerala government.
TWAD draws water from the dam and supply it to lakhs of residents in the city limits and villages en route. Considering the safety of the dam, Kerala Irrigation Department officials maintain water level five feet below storage level. The surplus is sent to Pillur dam.
A TWAD official said, “For over two weeks, catchments of Muthikulam and Pattiyaru along with small rivers in Palakkad forest recorded good rainfall, and the dam is receiving good inflow. A highest rainfall of 163mm was recorded in the catchment areas. Kerala has released surplus to Pillur dam more than three times so far, after the water level reached 44.5 feet. Unlike last year, we are getting good rains and we expect they will continue.”