THOOTHUKUDI: Water release from Papanasam dam for Thoothukudi to meet the drinking water needs was stepped up on Wednesday.
The release was enhanced to 200 cusecs from 104 cusecs, following a meeting convened by Collector M. Ravikumar with Thoothukudi Corporation and PWD officials here on Tuesday.
Thoothukudi has been facing a severe drinking water crisis due to the failure of south-west and north-east monsoons. At present, the Tamirabharani water is being supplied to 50 of the 60 wards in Thoothukudi Corporation. The rest of the area gets water from the combined drinking water supply scheme of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board.
To meet the summer demand, private wells had been identified for drawing water, according to a press release from K. Rajamani, Corporation Commissioner.
The Tamirabharani water could meet the drinking water requirement till February. Water drawn from private wells would be stored in eight overhead tanks and supplied through tankers..
