Groundwater levels in the district have fallen by around two to six metres, from the examination of 65 observation wells, the Groundwater Department has said.
If the present restrictions on water supply to the city are continued, water could be supplied at the same scale until May 25.
It could be continued until the first week of June if the steps to transport water from the Neyyar dam to the Aruvikkara reservoir are completed, according to an official release.
According to an evaluation by the Irrigation Department, the Neyyar reservoir has 13 Million Metric Cube (MMC) of water.
Of this, 4.9 MMC water will be necessary for letting water flow out through canals on both sides of the Neyyar river for seven days.
Five MMC water will be transported to Aruvikkara, while three MMC water will be held as reserve for emergency circumstances, it was decided at a meeting held on Wednesday to evaluate the water crisis.
New kiosks
Fifty more water kiosks will be set up in the city over the coming days, apart from the 51 kiosks that are presently operational.
More tankers will also be allowed for distributing water to the kiosks if the need arises, District Collector S. Venkatesapathy has said.
However, only two or three kiosks needed to be fill up more than once so far, according to the Water Department.
The Collector has requested the Groundwater Department to boost efforts for recharging the ground water table. Residents’ associations of the city were asked by Mayor V.K. Prasanth to cooperate in awareness campaigns for preventing the misuse of potable water and reducing usage levels, at a meeting organised by the city Corporation on Wednesday.
The Mayor has requested the associations to bring to notice the misuse of public taps and the leakage of water from broken taps.
Control diseases
The associations will also team up with the Corporation, the Kerala Water Authority, and the Revenue Department for supplying water to areas of extreme scarcity. Steps will also be taken by the Corporation in association with the Health Department and the residents’ associations to control the spread of infectious diseases and mosquito control.
