To reduce the drinking water issues faced by Coimbatore, alternative solutions have been arranged by Coimbatore District Administration and Coimbatore Corporation.

Siruvani Dam and Pillur Dam are the two major sources of water for the 100 wards in Coimbatore Corporation. While Siruvani Dam’s water level has gone down to 11 ft out of 49 ft of storage capacity, Pillur Dam has 55 ft out of its 100 ft capacity.

Until rain fills Siruvani, Coimbatore city is most likely to depend on Pillur Dam and River Bhavani. Since the water catchment areas of Pillur Dam and River Bhavani did not receive much rain during last year, the water schemes based on Pillur Dam could not work well and it ended affecting the supply to Coimbatore and other areas.

In April, water from dams in The Nilgiris district (which were used for power projects) were sent to Pillur Dam and that provided a slight relief from the water issues. However, new measures were needed even then to meet the water requirements of the city, hence water from Porthimund Dam in Nilgiris was to Pillur Dam via Avalanche Dam.

Sources shared that water stored in Upper Bhavani Dam has been released now and it will reach Pillur Dam via River Bhavani. While this is expected to provide some relief to Coimbatore, water from Upper Bhavani and Porthimund Dam should be used wisely because the currently available water has to last till June for the public till June 15.

Hence Coimbatore District Collector, Kranthi Kumar Padi has urged Coimbatoreans and the farmers to use water sparingly, and has also put a temporary hold on drawing of water from River Bhavani for industrial usage.