CHENNAI: With the water level in Siruvani dam falling to 20 ft, Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu is heading towards an acute water scarcity this summer.
The Siruvani dam has a capacity of 50ft and with the water level declining, the state water authority officials are worried about the water shortage in Coimbatore which mainly receives water from the dam.
Notably, Siruvani dam and its catchment area are located in Palakkad, Kerala and due to a weak monsoon, the water level in the dam has come down.
The Coimbatore city requires 265 MLD of water per day and of which 101.40 MLD is from the Siruvani dam and with the storage coming down the water received from the dam is reduced to 64.28 MLD.
The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) officials told IANS that the water supply will soon be reduced to 8 MLD per day in Coimbatore city.
Currently, TWAD is drawing water from the Pillur scheme and supplying water to Siruvani water supply areas. This has helped manage the water supply requirement in these areas. The Pillur III water scheme will be commissioned by May 2023 and is expected to bring in 178 Million Litres Per Day (MLD).
With the water level in Siruvani falling the Pillur III project is expected to support the drinking water needs of Coimbatore corporation. Sources in the TWAD told IANS that the Pillur III project will be completed before May and the water from this scheme will support the drinking water needs of Coimbatore corporation.