The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Siruvani storage comfortable

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Siruvani storage comfortable

Special Correspondent

No major crisis predicted on drinking water front

Corporation sources said the level on Tuesday was five feet more than on the same day (March 28) last year Situation has improved vastly compared to what prevailed in 2003 and 2004

COIMBATORE: No major crisis is predicted on the drinking water front as storage in the Siruvani Dam is at a comfortable 48.67 ft (against the full reservoir level of 67.65 ft). Corporation sources said the level on Tuesday was five feet more than on the same day (March 28) last year.

The 43.98 ft storage then helped the city manage the summer without any problem, barring the odd protests by residents over supply disruption because of pipeline faults. With the Pilloor scheme also providing full supply of 65 million litres a day (mld), the summer of 2005 was trouble-free. Along with this quantum and 70 mld under the Siruvani scheme, the Corporation was confident that this summer too would pass of without scarcity till the South West Monsoon in June.

The situation was so comfortable that the Corporation has even considered providing water out of its share (from Siruvani Dam) to the neighbouring municipality of Kuniamuthur. Sources in the civic body said the situation has improved vastly compared to what prevailed in 2003 and 2004. In March-end during those years the water level in the Siruvani Dam was 26.99 ft and 18.64 ft. Heavy rain since June 2004 ensured that the summer in 2005 passed off without shortage. Nearly 10,000 water connections had been provided in the city since 2004 but the Corporation faced no problem in meeting the demand for more water.

The Corporation sources said the city continued to enjoy alternate day supply as the storage in the dam might allow this throughout summer.

The civic body had appealed to the Kerala Government for raising the dam's height by a foot. The Mayor, T. Malaravan, also submitted a memorandum containing this request to the Kerala Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, when the latter visited the city nearly three months ago. Siruvani was among the water issues being discussed between the Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The Corporation saw the raising of the height and the implementation of the second phase of Pilloor scheme as measures that will help meet the heavy demand for drinking water in the next five to 10 years.

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