Cauvery flow spreads cheer in Tiruchi
The drinking water shortage faced by the city over the
past four months is expected to ease considerably as the Cauvery water
released from Mettur reservoir reached here to provide a much-needed
wetting of the water sources on the riverbed on Thursday.
The
newly built check dam across the river, though yet to be completed, has
helped in a big way to head up the water for a depth of about four feet
around the city’s main drinking water sources at Kambarsampettai. The
source of the Ramanathapuram Combined Drinking Water Scheme upstream
also stood to benefit immensely by the recharge of groundwater.
With
the Cauvery remaining dry for six months consequent to last year’s
monsoon failure, the yield from almost all water pumping stations on the
river had gone down drastically.
The combined yield
from the four main pumping stations of the Tiruchirapalli City
Corporation from the Cauvery slumped to a low of 12 million litres a day
(MLD) from 80 to 85 MLD. The new drinking water supply augmentation
scheme (still under execution) with its source at the Coleroon river,
helped meet the shortfall to a large extent as the civic body was able
to pump about 40 to 45 MLD even before the scheme was fully
commissioned. This averted a major crisis as the supply level to the
city was maintained at around 60 MLD over the past two months.
The
corporation had to resort to alternate day supply of water to residents
served by the Woraiyur, Marakkadai, and Virugupettai overhead water
tanks in nearly a dozen wards in the city since May-end. The duration
and the quantum of supply was reduced in many other places. Several
other parts of the city, including Woraiyur, airport, and Crawford, were
facing severe scarcity of drinking water supply.
The
release of about 3,000 cusecs of water from Mettur over the past 10
days following good inflows from Karnataka had prevented the situation
turning worse though it took quite a few days for the water to reach
here as the riverbed had turned completely dry.
According
to Public Works Department officials, more than 2,000 cusecs of water
was being realised at Upper Anicut. The check dam at Kambarasampettai
will help retain substantial quantity of water to provide continuous
wetting to the sources on the river bed.
The check
dam, sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 32 crore, is coming up just a few
metres away from the city’s main drinking water pumping stations.
Already,
over 87 per cent of the work on the structure on the riverbed has been
completed, the officials said. Only the sand vents on either side are
yet to be built.
Corporation officials were relieved
on Thursday after the water reached here. Sources in the civic body said
that they were expecting normal pumping to resume at the drinking water
stations on the Cauvery over the next few days. Daily supply is likely
to be restored in places where alternative day supply was introduced.
Corporation
Commissioner V.P. Thandapani remained cautiously optimistic saying that
it would take a few more days for the drinking water sources to be
fully recharged and the civic body would take appropriate decisions as
the situation improves.
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