Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Overflow at Siruvani Dam continues; no daily supply

Special Correspondent

The civic body will implement the Pilloor scheme soon as it will face demand for more water: Mayor

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation breathes easy this year with the overflow at the Siruvani Dam continuing since October 15.

And, with the Pilloor Dam almost full, the civic body says it will not face shortage of drinking water in summer next year.

A comfortable storage can be maintained during summer till the onset of the South West Monsoon in June next year, water managers in the Corporation say.

Heavy rain in Kerala during the South West Monsoon and the North East Monsoon has sustained the overflow at the Siruvani Dam.

More than 85 million litres a day (mld) from the Siruvani scheme and 65.97 mld from the Pilloor scheme help the Corporation meet the demand for drinking water. After severe restrictions on the release of water connections till 2003, the civic body is now in a position to release connections on demand.

From close to 87,000 connections in the summer of 2004, it is more than a lakh now.

Distribution system

Good rain from June 2004 has helped the Corporation avoid frayed tempers among a large section of the public.

Barring problems in the distribution system, the Corporation has not faced shortage of water.

Official sources in the Corporation say that the overflow in the Siruvani Dam will continue as long as it rains heavily in Kerala where the dam is located. Heavy rain in the Nilgiris will raise storage in the Pilloor Dam.

While the situation at both the dams brings good news to the city, the Corporation does not wish to draw comfort from this alone.

The Pilloor second phase scheme for another 60 mld of water for the city is being pursued by the Corporation.

Mayor `Colony' R. Venkatachalam has said that the civic body will implement the scheme soon as it will face demand for more water.

With more layouts and apartments coming up all over the city, the Corporation is faced with the task of implementing the scheme in the next couple of years, after a delay of six years.

Alternate day supply

Though the storage is good, the Corporation is maintaining only alternate day supply and not willing to restore daily supply.

More consumers, same quantity of water and inadequate storage points in the city to tap the overflow forces the Corporation to continue with the alternate day supply even in times of surplus.

As the Corporation's request for raising the height of the Siruvani Dam by three feet is locked in the prolonged talks over inter-State water issues with Kerala, any amount of surplus is not going to be of any use to the city.

Only the Pilloor second scheme can help the Corporation meet demand for more water in the years to come.

The proposed scheme has the capacity to provide 96.74 mld in 2021 and an ultimate capacity of 139 mld.

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