RAMANATHAPURAM
The arid district, which has been facing acute drinking water crisis after the failure of North-east monsoon last year and the supply of Cauvery water hit a dismal low, will have no problem for the next few months, thanks to the receipt of 30 MLD (million litres per day) of Cauvery water from Mutharasanallur in Tiruchi.
For the first time in two years, the district received more than 30 MLD of water after the release of 7,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from Mettur dam on August 8. The released water reached Mutharasanallur on August 12, and it has been flowing over the point for the last two days, sufficiently recharging the groundwater level.
“We started drawing up to 33 MLD of water and the district will face no water problem for the next three months,” A. Chelladurai, Assistant Director, Panchayats, said. All the 2,300 habitations, seven town panchayats and four municipalities in the district would be supplied Cauvery water under the Combined Cauvery Water Scheme, he said.
The district drew the full capacity of 48 MLD in early 2015, after which the supply dwindled due to depletion of groundwater at Mutharasanallur in the absence of release of Cauvery water and fell to a low of 8 MLD since July.
After the fall in supply, the district administration distributed the available Cauvery water in packages after dividing the district into three parts – Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi and Thiruvadanai, he said.
“From Tuesday or Wednesday, we will be able to supply Cauvery water to all parts of the district,” he said, and appealed to the people to use the water judiciously.
Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board had been asked to check for leakages along the 281.89-km-long pipeline from Mutharasanallur to the collection point at Kadaladi, he said.
The district would face no water problem for a year if it received good monsoon this year. Even after the drastic fall in the supply of Cauvery water, the district administration tackled the water crisis by exploiting local sources, he added.
