With water intake from the Siruvani Dam declining sharply due to summer conditions, the Coimbatore Corporation is currently supplying around 335 million litres of drinking water per day to meet the city’s needs, officials said.
Coimbatore, home to over two million people, depends on multiple sources including the Siruvani and Pillur drinking water schemes, along with the Vadavalli–Kaundampalayam and Aliyar combined water projects. However, rising temperatures since the beginning of the year have led to depletion of water levels in dams and other water bodies across the district.
As a result, water supply intervals have been affected across the city’s 100 wards, with some areas receiving water once every three days and others once a week. The situation has worsened due to a steep fall in the Siruvani Dam’s storage, a key source of drinking water.
Officials said water drawal from Siruvani has been reduced by nearly half, from 100 MLD to about 47.5 MLD. To offset the shortfall, additional supply is being sourced from the Pillur project.
A Corporation official said efforts are being made to ensure that all areas receive drinking water at least once every two to three days. Currently, around 330 to 335 MLD is being sourced from all available schemes and distributed across the city.
Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board officials noted that the Siruvani Dam, with a full capacity height of 50 feet, now has a water level of just 16.3 feet. They added that, as is typical during summer, reduced drawal from the dam would continue for the next few weeks.
Authorities have urged residents not to waste water and to use it judiciously during the summer months, even as they assured that there is no immediate shortage of drinking water in the city.
