Coimbatore Corporation to take steps to minimise loss in Pilloor water supply

The issue is that the Corporation suffers a loss in supply of Pilloor water right after it pumps the water from the Pilloor Reservoir.

Coimbatore Corporation suffers a loss in supply of Pilloor water right after itpumps the water from the Pilloor Reservoir. FILE PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

Coimbatore Corporation will soon initiate a few steps to improve Pilloor water supply by minimising the distribution loss. According to sources, the civic body had already begun discussions with the Board officials in Coimbatore in this regard.

The issue is that the Corporation suffers a loss in supply of Pilloor water right after it pumps the water from the Pilloor Reservoir. This happens at the place where it shares the Board’s pipeline to convey the water out of the Kattan hillock, through a tunnel.

The sources said that the Board’s pipeline is below that of the Corporation’s and that difference has led to water flowing from the Corporation’s pipeline to that of the Board.

The civic body noticed the drop in supply when the Board had to temporarily shut down its Pilloor supply system for repair and maintenance work – it had pumped in 125 million litres a day (MLD) at one end of the tunnel but received around 90 MLD at the other end.

The Corporation had also metered the variation in water supply to back its claim before the Board officials.

The sources said that the water the Corporation lost at the tunnel flowed through the TWAD Board’s Pilloor pipeline.

The latter supplied the water to the residents of added areas of the Coimbatore Corporation and also claim payment for the same.

In short, the Corporation was paying TWAD Board also for the water it lost.

To remedy the situation, the Corporation has planned to dig a tunnel for its exclusive use and lay a pipeline to convey water without any loss. It had also planned another tunnel at the Periyacombai hillock, where again it shares the Board’s pipeline.

The two organisations pump Pilloor water from two different wells in the Pilloor reservoir, convey the water using separate pipelines up to the Periyacombai hillock tunnel, where the Corporation uses the TWAD Board’s pipeline, convey the water using separate pipelines up to their respective water treatment plants, and from there carry water in separate pipelines till the Kattan hillock tunnel, where the Corporation again uses the Board’s pipeline.

The sources said that the Corporation would execute the work after obtaining government clearance.