Weak monsoon impacts Siruvani dam water supply; concerns grow in TN’s Coimbatore
Coimbatore: Poor rainfall in the catchment areas of the Siruvani Dam in Kerala has forced the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board to reduce the quantity of drinking water supplied to Coimbatore city.
The daily supply from the reservoir, which stood at around 65 million litres a day last week, has been scaled down to 55 MLD this week. Officials attributed the reduction to the weak southwest monsoon and the consequent decline in the dam’s water level.
Siruvani requires sustained and heavy rainfall in its catchment areas to record a substantial increase in storage. However, the region has received only light showers during the current monsoon season.
A senior TWAD Board official said the catchment areas needed to receive between 50 mm and 100 mm of rainfall for the reservoir level to rise significantly. Rainfall recorded during the monsoon had remained at only around 7 mm to 8 mm, resulting in lower inflow and reduced water availability. As of Saturday, the water level in the Siruvani Dam stood at 26.7 feet against its full reservoir level of 50 feet.
The declining storage has raised concerns over drinking water distribution in Coimbatore, as Siruvani remains one of the city’s principal water sources. Officials said supplies were being regulated based on the water currently available.
Meanwhile, proposed repair work to stop seepage and prevent further loss of water from the dam is yet to begin. The Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments are coordinating to identify the works required and secure the necessary administrative and financial approvals.
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation recently paid around Rs 11 crore to the TWAD Board towards outstanding water charges. It has also submitted a proposal to the Tamil Nadu government seeking approval for an Rs 18-crore project to carry out repair and maintenance works at the reservoir.
The Kerala government officials are preparing a comprehensive report detailing the condition of the dam and the works that need to be undertaken. Once the report is submitted, the most urgent repairs will be identified and the proposal forwarded to the TWAD Board Managing Director for approval and allocation of funds.
Arresting seepage and preventing further water loss will be given priority. The required funds will be deposited with the Kerala authorities, who will execute the works.
With the southwest monsoon nearing its end, officials expect the repairs to be undertaken without significantly disrupting water supply once the approvals are obtained.