Coming as a relief to residents of Coimbatore in areas supplied under the Siruvani Drinking Water Scheme, a 30 mm rainfall in 24 hours as of Wednesday at 8.30 a.m. was recorded at the catchment area in Palakkad district in Kerala, according to the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board.
The total storage level of the dam is 878.5 m above the mean sea level, as per the Irrigation Department of the Kerala government. The dead storage level, reserved for forest animals and is accessed, is at 863.4 m. The current storage level is calculated above the dead storage level.
With this, the water level in Siruvani Dam has increased from 0.61 feet to 0.79 feet above the dead storage level — i.e., it has increased from 863.61 metres to 863.64 metres above sea level as of Wednesday.
The TWAD Board official said in the beginning of June, the level dwindled around 864.2 metres above sea level when rains were scarce and stood at 863.61 m by the last week of the month.
Currently, following rain supply also inched upwards from Wednesday. The regular distribution for the past few weeks was 35 MLD which went up to 36.92 MLD for Coimbatore, a TWAD Board official told The Hindu.
Of the total drinking water requirement of 265.70 MLD for 22 wards under the Coimbatore Corporation, 28 village panchayats and seven town panchayats — 101.4 MLD is from the Siruvani Dam.
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day at the reservoir was 10 mm on Tuesday. Earlier, it was only up to 6 mm. Even though heavy rain across the Palakkad district has been predicted, only showers over the dam area would increase the water level,” the official added.
A red alert was issued by the department, yet there was no expected amount of downpour in this area, she said.
