Source : The Hindu Date : 16.06.2009
Drinking water crisis looms over city, suburbs
Special Correspondent
| Water level in Siruvani Dam is now around 20 ft |
Photo: Siva Saravanan 
TIGHT SITUATION: The lull in the monsoon is impacting the drinking water position in the Siruvani Dam. —
COIMBATORE: A dormant South West Monsoon is pushing the city and the suburbs towards a drinking water crisis as the water level in the Siruvani Dam keeps dipping. One half of the 105 sq.km. city, three municipalities and about 10 panchayats are dependent on this scheme.
Predictions of an early onset of the monsoon had raised hopes in the local bodies of the water position easing a bit in the first week of June. But, after an initial burst of rain in the Siruvani catchment, the monsoon does not offer anything now to the dam.
Official sources in the Corporation say the dam has not recorded any rainfall over the last three to four days. It ranged from two mm to five mm prior to that. But, this too was not on a daily basis. The water level has receded to a point below all the three nozzles at the intake tower in the dam, they say. It is around 20 ft as against the full reservoir level of 67 ft.
The Coimbatore Corporation has already re-scheduled the supply of Siruvani water to once-in-four days, a measure it last resorted to at the peak of crisis during summer in 2001 and also in 2003. When the revised schedule was being announced this year, 20 mm to 30 mm rain in the catchment provided hopes of a good monsoon enabling the local body to withdraw the schedule soon.
But, there has hardly been any improvement in the situation. While the Corporation says its provides Siruvani water once in four or five days, residents in many areas such as Ramnagar lament that they have not got drinking water for the last 10 days. The local bodies in the suburbs are struggling to make a supply even once in 10 days. Veerakeralam Town Panchayat’s case seems to be pathetic.
It’s president V.T. Bakthavathsalam laments: “We are able to supply water only once in 17 days because of the situation in the Siruvani Dam.”
While the Corporation gets 40 million litres a day (mld), the other local bodies have to share 10 mld.
The sources in the Corporation point out that the situation can turn worse if the monsoon does not revive in a week. The effect of a poor monsoon last year is already being felt now. A good monsoon till September will not only do the rescue act for this year, but will also be an investment for the next summer.
