The current spell of summer rain and the comfortable storage in Mettur dam has eased the pressure on Tiruchi Corporation and several civic bodies in Tiruchi district in ensuring supply of drinking water to residents in May and subsequent months.
It is during the months of March, April and May when the civic bodies in the district experience water scarcity due to dry weather conditions. Though many civic bodies, including Tiruchi Corporation, have been supplying water to residents through wells in the riverbed of the Cauvery, they face trouble in the summer months as the groundwater table invariably depletes during the season. The difficulty continues to surface until the onset of the northeast monsoon. To manage the situation, the civic bodies put in place a contingency plan.
As expected, the drinking water scarcity has begun to surface in several towns, including Manapparai, Thuraiyur, Uppiliyapuram, Thathaiyargarpettai, and several villages in Tiruchi district in April. However, the current spell of unseasonal rain has come as a relief to them. Several parts of the district continue to experience moderate to heavy rain for the last 10 days, thereby bringing cheer to water managers. The rain has helped them to tap the groundwater through various local sources in order to set right the shortage of drinking water supply from the riverbeds.
Tiruchi Corporation, which gets water from the riverbeds in the Cauvery and the Kollidam, claims that there will be no scarcity of drinking water during the remaining summer period and the subsequent months until the onset of the northeast monsoon in October.
The city requires about 140 MLD of water to meet the requirements of about 10 lakh population. While the Corporation gets 70 MLD from the Kollidam, it sources about 65 MLD from the Cauvery through its pumping station and wells. The officials say that there has been no issue in water supply.
“There is no report of drastic decline in the water table in the Cauvery and the Kollidam riverbeds, where we draw water, as the rivers had a steady flow of water for a longer period in 2022. The flow continued in the Cauvery up to the second week of February. The current long spell of rain has also helped to recharge the ground water,” says a senior official of Tiruchi Corporation.
The official says that chances are bright for opening the Mettur dam in the first or second week of June as it continues to maintain its storage beyond 100 feet. It augurs well for uninterrupted water supply in Tiruchi.
