Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Hopes of Siruvani surplussing again

By K.V. Prasad

COIMBATORE, OCT. 19 . With the North-East Monsoon having set in and good rain predicted, there are hopes of the Siruvani Dam surplussing again. The water level in the dam now is 65.07 ft against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 67.65 ft. With just 2.58 ft to go for the FRL, it is hoped that a normal monsoon itself will lead to surplussing.

Official sources say there was no rain today in the catchment. But, heavy rain over the last week had maintained the storage close to the FRL. One more heavy spell like the one on Sunday will lead to surplussing, they say. A depression and a bountiful South-West Monsoon had led to the surplussing in August this year, after six years since August 1998.

Sunday's torrential rain sought to provide ample indication of what the North-East Monsoon also has in store for Coimbatore. It is of particular interest to the Siruvani-served areas as they are totally dependent on this scheme.

As per the agreement with Kerala, Coimbatore can draw only 101 million litres per day (mld), out of which 87 mld had been earmarked for the Corporation areas. Now, there are efforts to have the dam raised by three feet so that more water can be retained and the rising demand for Siruvani water can be met.

Alternative schemes

Simultaneously, efforts are on to have alternative schemes for the suburbs and the city implemented. These are aimed at bringing down the stress on the Siruvani scheme. However, as the schemes are yet to be cleared by the Government there is no guarantee that these may reach implementation in the near future. A conservative estimate by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (Board) officials pointed out that it may take at least three years for the schemes to be completed.

The Coimbatore Corporation is said to have unofficially reverted to alternate day supply in the city, introduced in 2000 amid scarcity. Supply was rescheduled to once in four days in 2003 as the scarcity worsened.

When the South-West Monsoon set in on time and brought heavy rain, various parties in the Corporation Council demanded restoration of at least alternate day supply.

While the Corporation is said to have met the demand without making any formal announcement, it is clear that the civic body is not willing to take the risk of restoring daily supply. "We do not want to invite crisis", some officials in charge of water supply say.

Supply restoration

However, it is felt that the civic body may be forced to provide daily supply for sometime as there may not be enough storage points in the city. If the Siruvani surplusses again and the North-East Monsoon also contributes substantially it may well provide hopes of an "unofficial" daily supply as an alternative to wastage.

But, going by the mood in the Corporation, chances of completely reverting to daily supply are remote. As for wastage from overflow, water managers say that the quantity that overflows reaches the Pilloor Dam.

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