Coimbatore likely to face drinking water shortage

The water level of Siruvani Dam has dropped to 24 feet. Siruvani Dam is the main dam that provides drinking water to the people of Coimbatore. The dam is located in Palakkad, Kerala. Drinking water from this dam is being supplied to the people of 30 wards in the Corporation and also to the numerous villages nearby.

The Siruvani Dam is 49.53 feet high. But the Kerala government does not allow water storage above 45 feet. For the last three years, the Kerala Irrigation Department has not allowed the dam to reach its full capacity, citing security concerns. In particular, during the months of January and February, excess water from the dam was released into the Siruvani river and the water level of the dam was significantly reduced.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written a letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala on February 1 in this regard. However, due to the low water level in the dam, the amount of water coming from the dam per day is very low at present. Currently, the water level in Siruvani Dam has dropped to 24 feet.

As a result, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board is providing less than 55 million litres of water per day instead of 90 million litres. Currently, 55.47 MLD of drinking water per day is drawn, of which 47.73 MLD is being supplied to the Corporation of Coimbatore and the rest of the villages. This has increased the interval between days of supply of drinking water in the areas of Siruvani distribution.

Following this, additional water is being pumped into the Pillur drinking water project on behalf of the corporation using additional pumps. Through this, steps have been taken to share the water of Pillur with the Siruvani area and distribute it evenly.