Good storage level in Mettur dam reduces risk of water shortage this summer

TIRUCHI:

:

The comfortable storage position in Mettur dam has reduced the possibility of water scarcity in Tiruchi city during summer.

The city gets drinking water from the pumping stations on the riverbeds of the Cauvery and the Kollidam. It gets 137 MLD (millions of litres per day) from various drinking water projects. Of it, Tiruchi Corporation draws 55 MLD from the sources of the riverbed in the Cauvery. Water to the extent of 71 MLD is drawn from the Kollidam.

The Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board supplies 4.62 MLD from the headworks in the Kollidam at Thiruvanaikoil. In addition, the city gets .58 MLD from the pumping station at Puthapuram on Kallanai Road and four MLD from the pumping station at Jeeyapuram.

The yield generally goes down shortly after Mettur dam is closed for irrigation in January. It goes down further in April and May. Many areas such as Periamilaguparai, Karumandapam, Ponnagar, K.K. Nagar and LIC Colony and other neighbouring places usually face drinking water shortage in summer. To tide over the crisis, the civic body would resort to supply of drinking water through tanker lorries.

The situation, according to officials, is under control, thanks to the comfortable storage level in Mettur dam. There has been no significant decline in yield from the drinking water projects.

“We have not come across any information on decline in water yield so far during the current summer season. We expect that there will not be any issue during peak summer too,” an official said.