Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Heavy rain returns to Siruvani

K.V. Prasad

Southwest monsoon revival brings good inflow

COIMBATORE: After a lull of more than a fortnight, heavy rain pounded the Siruvani Dam and its catchment with the revival of the Southwest monsoon in neighbouring Kerala.

Palakkad district that borders Coimbatore district has been reporting heavy rain over the last three days. The dam is located on the border Mannarkad (in that district) shares with Coimbatore. Officials in the Coimbatore Corporation are optimistic that if the heavy rain continues, the dam may overflow in another 15 days. If that happens, it will be considered a landmark in the history of the Siruvani scheme and of the Corporation and other local bodies who go through anxious moments every summer. The dam received 110 mm rain on Saturday and 70 mm on Friday. The conditions in Palakkad suggest that this is not mere revival of the monsoon. It has also turned vigorous.

The foothills of Siruvani (located in Coimbatore) recorded 75 mm rain on Saturday and 40 mm on Friday. This, water managers here say, is a clear indication of a vigorous monsoon. The water level in the dam has risen more than a foot over the last couple of days. It was 54.28 ft on Saturday as against the full reservoir level of 67.44 ft. When the monsoon took a break in the first week of this month, the storage was 52.80 ft. It had gone down further with no rain in the catchment. After the 20 mm rain on June 7, it was an eager wait for the monsoon to revive. Though there is still 13.61 ft to go for an overflow, the Corporation officials bank on heavier downpour over the next couple of weeks to enable that to happen in early July. But, some of them point to the earlier instances of the monsoon weakening and the level touching the brim only in the first or second week of September. An overflow normally happens only during that time. But, this year, expectations of an overflow much earlier are triggered by the early setting in of the monsoon. The inflow began when the monsoon set in over the catchment after mid-May. The earlier instance of early gains in recent times was in May 2004 when the monsoon set in early.

As on Saturday, 70 million litres a day (mld) of drinking water were being supplied in the Corporation area under the Siruvani scheme and 60 mld to 62 mld under the Pilloor scheme. As the storage rises, there is the possibility of the supply under the Siruvani scheme being stepped up.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

`Many postgraduates in English cannot greet somebody in good English
Heavy rain returns to Siruvani
Minister promises to improve hostel conditions
Farmers' rally on July 5
Two shops burgled
Around the City
In Coimbatore Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu