Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Another scarcity-free summer ahead

K.V. Prasad

Siruvani dam has more than comfortable storage

COIMBATORE: For the second consecutive year, the city may not face shortage of drinking water under the Siruvani scheme.

Definitely not this summer, says an official who points out that the Siruvani dam kept overflowing for nearly 75 days during the South-West Monsoon.

Sources in the Coimbatore Corporation say that the situation improved with good monsoons (South-West and North-East) in 2004, after four years of acute shortage. The heavy rain that year ensured that April - May 2005 was problem-free. In fact, the city quickly put behind the harrowing experience between 2000 and 2004. The Corporation also ensured normal supply (on alternate days). Many areas enjoyed daily supply just because there was far too much flow from the dam, through a gradient, for the tanks to store.

According to sources, another good South-West Monsoon last year has ensured that the summer this year will also pass off without too many people protesting with empty pots on the roads.

The city gets 89 million litres a day (mld) from the Siruvani dam and 65 mld under the Pilloor scheme. Corporation officials say that this ensures a per capita supply of 110 litres a day.

Supply schedule

As for the supply schedule, it is highly unlikely that the alternate day supply may be changed. There is water enough to continue with the present schedule but caution prevents restoration of daily supply.

Alternate day supply was first resorted to in 2000 when the monsoons failed in 1999. It was made once in four days amid a major crisis in 2001. Alternate day supply was restored for a brief while during the South-West Monsoon that year. But the once-in-four- days supply was back during summer in 2002 and 2003.

During both years, the Siruvani dam received less than 2,500 mm rain (from both monsoons and the summer showers.)

Though it received more than 3,500 mm rain in 2000 and 2001, lack of borewell supply and the consequent use of Siruvani water for different purposes led to scarcity.

The Corporation spent Rs. 4.6 crores on sinking borewells and laying a line to divert Pilloor water to Siruvani-served areas. These contingency measures had to be taken as the Siruvani dam hit dead storage during May in 2002 and 2003.

After heavy rain in 2004, only borewell supply continued so that people could avoid using Siruvani water for non-drinking purposes. For the last two years, the Corporation did not face the need to divert Pilloor water to the western and southern parts of the city that came under the Siruvani scheme.

This time, the city is safe, says an official. The water level in the dam as on Tuesday is 62.22 ft against the full reservoir level of 67.65 ft.

And, this will take the city through the summer, he adds.

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