As drought continues to loom large over the district, the storage level in the reservoirs is fast depleting. One of the three main reservoirs in Vellore — Rajathoppu — has completely dried up, while water level in the other two reservoirs has been decreasing steadily.
Officials describe the situation as bleak and hope that the northeast monsoon would bring relief.
After the water level in the Rajathoppu reservoir hit the zero mark, officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) say the present water situation in the two other reservoirs – Mordhana Dam near Gudiyatham and Andiappanur Odai near Tirupattur — and 519 tanks maintained by the department across the district is extremely poor.
According to the PWD, Rajathoppu reservoir, with its total storage capacity of 20.52 mcft of water has nil water as on June 27. Mordhana Dam has 47.34 mcft of water as against its total storage capacity of 261.36 mcft, while Andiappanur Odai, which has a total capacity of 112.20 mcft, has 14.23 mcft of water as of now.
“Many of these tanks have only about 10% water of the total storage capacity. The water level in majority of the water bodies is poor, and we are waiting for the northeast monsoon to end the crisis,” an official said.
In fact, all three reservoirs had filled up following rains during November 2015. The rains had also helped recharge more than 350 of the 519 tanks then. This included one of the biggest tanks in the district — Sadupperi — that reached its full storage capacity.
In April this year, the PWD also released nearly 145 mcft of water from the Mordhana Dam for a week. Then, the dam had 190 mcft of water.
Farming hit
For farmers in the district, this dip in water table has added to their existing water woes. N. Raghupathi, district deputy president of Tamizhaga Vivasaigal Sangam, Vellore, said at least 60% to 90% of agricultural activities were hit in various parts of the district including Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Natrampalli, Katpadi and Gudiyatham due to drought situation.
“Farmers are facing acute water scarcity, and agriculture has taken a beating. There is no water even after digging for 1,200 feet for sinking a borewell in Ambur Taluk. Such is the extent of the water crisis,” he said.
