Amid growing concerns over water scarcity in Coimbatore, officials said that an influx of 350 million cubic feet (Mcf) of water from the upper reaches of the Bhavani River reached Pilloor Dam on Thursday, alleviating the ongoing water crisis until June 15.
Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) officials have stated that the release of water from Pilloor I will be augmented by supply from the Pilloor II project within a day or two. This will furnish the city with up to 126 million litres of water per day (MLD), meeting a significant portion of the total requirement of 236 MLD.
However, authorities cautioned residents to prudently utilise water. “Residents are urged to share resources responsibly and rely on groundwater sources to supplement their needs,” Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabhakaran said.
Further, the civic body has procured approvals to install borewells along lake bunds to tap into groundwater reservoirs. “We can leverage natural filtration provided by the soil surrounding tanks, thereby making groundwater a viable option for domestic consumption,” Mr. Prabhakaran said.
The arrival of Upper Bhavani water comes on the heels of a temporary halt in water supply from Pilloor II, necessitated by diminishing water levels. While the Pilloor I project has a greater pumping capacity than the second one, both are essential for sufficient drinking water to be supplied to the city.
However, while officials have said that the depth of water in the dam remains satisfactory at about 55ft, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD) said that upto 40ft of the dam contains muddy water due to the lack of desilting. “At present our focus is to supply the city with sufficient water,” an official said.
Further, in a meeting held by D. Karthikeyan, Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, in Coimbatore on Thursday, officials from the Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Erode municipalities were instructed to assess water levels at dams, new plumbing setups, and borewell repairs along with the setting up of additional water ponds in areas requiring them the most.
