The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : City will cruise through this summer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

City will cruise through this summer

By K.V. Prasad

Graphic: R. Rajkumar

COIMBATORE, MARCH 29 . In all probability, the water position in the Siruvani Dam will not be a source of concern for the city this summer.

After the harrowing experience from 2002 to 2004, heavy rain last year has ensured that a comfortable supply can be made till the next South West Monsoon.

Though the suburbs served by the Siruvani scheme still struggle with a measly supply, the Coimbatore Corporation areas enjoy a supply of 70 million litres a day (mld) as on date.

The water level in the dam is 43.74 ft against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 67.65 ft.

After a gap of two years, the Corporation reverted to alternate day supply last year, encouraged by heavy rain and with the dam overflowing twice during the South West Monsoon.

According to Corporation sources, the civic body has managed to sustain a comfortable supply as it had restricted the quantum well within the World Health Organisation norm of 110 litres per capita per day (lpcd) even though the dam overflowed.

After the rains (South West and North East monsoons), restraint had been observed to ensure that water was not squandered.

This, they say, has helped in maintaining a 70 mld supply in spite of the summer having begun.

There is every reason to feel happy as the current supply is clearly 50 mld more than what was provided in March last year, when the water level in the dam was fast plunging to dead storage.

It was 20 mld then and 38 mld the previous year (see graphics).

The position in March 2001 was marginally better than this year; it was 44.28 ft then. But, the next three years saw a fast decline triggered by monsoon failure.

The supply in the city in 2000 and 2001 was 84 mld and 75.62 mld. Poor rain triggered a slump on this front too and the Corporation rescheduled supply to once in four days in 2002.

Though complaints of erratic supply in certain pockets trickle in, sources attribute these to line fault. The Corporation claims that, overall, the supply is problem-free.

But, with a sharp rise in demand for more water due to hectic housing activity, officials and councillors say that a permanent solution lies in the implementation of the Pilloor second phase scheme to supply 125 mld to the city. It is still awaiting technical sanction by the Government.

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