The recent spell of rain has done little to quell the apprehensions of Nilgiris residents that they could be in for a long, cold, and dry winter, exacerbating water scarcity issues in the coming months.
After rain in some areas of The Nilgiris, particularly Udhagamandalam, where around 26 mm was recorded, municipality officials said that water level in some of the 11 reservoirs around the town had increased by around 0.5 ft.
Rainfall
A total of 91.4 mm of rainfall is recorded across the district, with Kotagiri, Naduvattam, and Kodanad receiving 10 mm of rain.
However, the lack of adequate rainfall this year has led to the Marlimund and Tiger Reservoirs, which supply drinking water to The Nilgiris, almost going completely dry.
Only the Parsons Valley Reservoir has water left, and has become the primary source of drinking water for the residents of The Nilgiris.
V. Prabhakaran, Health Officer and (in-charge) Udhagamandalam Municipality, said that the current water level at Parsons Valley Reservoir was 44 ft, against a total capacity of 52 ft. Municipality officials are quiet confident that the water will last till the next monsoon season.
Another failed monsoon, or a delay in rain could change the situation, and result in many parts of Udhagamandalam going without water.
N. Mohanraj, a conservationist, said that the region was witnessing the consequences of climate change. The administration as well as residents need to adopt contingency measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the long run.
“The Nilgiris is an important catchment area and is a vital starting point for rivers that supply water to other cities like Coimbatore, and Erode. I suspect that we have received less than a quarter of the average rainfall this year,” he said.
Mr. Mohanraj said that the loss of grasslands and Shola trees was leading to water depletion, and measures needed to be taken to remove exotic species of trees from The Nilgiris.
