COIMBATORE: Residents of Coimbatore breathed a sigh of relief as the water level in Siruvani dam in Kerala increased by 2 feet on Tuesday due to incessant rainfall in the catchment area.
The irrigation department of Kerala has been maintaining the maximum water level of Siruvani dam at 877.00 m (45 ft) instead of its full capacity of 878.50 m (50 ft) as stipulated in the interstate agreement due to poor rainfall in the monsoon, which caused water scarcity in Coimbatore in summer.
The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) board officials had earlier informed that it would be difficult to supply water to Coimbatore during May due to the drastic dip in water level. A TWAD board official from the Siruvani Division said,
“The water catchment areas of the Siruvani dam in Kerala recorded a rainfall of 110 mm on Monday and Tuesday. With this, water levels in the reservoir increased from 5.44 feet to 7.5 feet on Tuesday. Currently, about 40 MLD of water is being supplied from the dam. At this rate, we will be able to supply water till May 28. We are expecting further rainfall in the upcoming days, which will help us to address the water needs of Coimbatore.”