Madurai city, other areas to face acute water shortage

PWD plans to step up discharge from Periyar dam to 300 cusecs

CUMBUM

Despite significant discharge from Periyar dam, rapid depletion of water from Vaigai dam has forecast an acute shortage of drinking water supply to southern districts, particularly Madurai city.

With no inflow into Vaigai dam, Public Works Department officials have scaled down the discharge to 40 cusecs from 60 cusecs. “If water level went below the dead storage of 20 feet, water could not be drawn from dam,” an official said.

To improve the storage in the dam, the officials stepped up discharge from Periyar dam to Vaigai dam to 150 cusecs six days ago, and again increased it to 200 cusecs two day back, owing to heavy downpour in the catchments of Periyar dam.

However, water has not reached Vaigai dam till Sunday noon, thanks to massive illegal tapping of river water along the course of the river.

Even as the PWD officials stated that high-velocity wind and dry riverbed led to evaporation of a large quantum of water, withdrawal of more water than the prescribed quantum by TWAD Board to meet the drinking water needs was also a reason for nil flow into Vaigai dam, said PWD officials.

But the TWAD Board officials said top priority was given to drinking water supply. “We have been drawing required water only to maintain drinking water needs of villages and town panchayats,” an official said.

At the same time, the PWD was very desperate to improve storage level in Vagai dam. It has planned to step up discharge from Periyar dam to 300 cusecs as inflow into the dam touched 561 cusecs on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Periyar dam area recorded 69.02 mm of rainfall, the highest of this season. Rainfall recorded in other areas was (in mm): Thekkadi 16, Manjalar dam 10, Gudalur 3 and Uthamaplayam 1.6.

Sources said Idukki district received comfortable rain since the morning. Kodaikanal and surrounding areas in Dindigul district too received good rainfall.