If the catchment areas in and around the region continued to experience a dry spell, there may be a crisis very soon in getting uninterrupted drinking water supply.
With the storage level at Vaigai dam at 26.84 feet (against a maximum of 71 ft), the officials at Corporation said on Tuesday that water distribution for the entire city may be enough only for a fortnight.
“Of course, we can draw water from Mulla Periyar reservoir…if there is no rain in the catchment area in the next few days or so…But again, the farmers had to get their due of water for irrigation,” he noted.
People living in the extension areas were already not getting regular supply for the last one month and depended on alternative means. Many residential apartments had their own facility or purchased water from private agencies for a sum. Only those in the old wards covered under the 72 wards received water in their pipes by the Corporation.
A classic example of drinking water shortage and how people experienced it could be seen in front of the Collector’s camp office situated on New Natham Road. A long queue of empty pots would be kept by residents who lived in DRO Colony and other pockets.
Only a very few colonies, which were in low-lying areas, may get uninterrupted water supply, while others would start feeling the heat soon, an engineer in the Corporation said.
However, when contacted, Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri said that steps would be taken to supply drinking water to residents. He appealed to the people to get in touch with the helpdesk number 0452-2525252 and asked people to register their names.
Apart from this, residents are welcome to post on Facebook and the staff would redress the grievances on priority.
While the actual water level in the Vaigai dam would be around 10 feet or less as the silt occupied a major part, a PWD official said and the only solution would be rain.
