It will ensure supply of adequate water to all areas without any hitch, says official

The Tiruchi Corporation, which is feeling the heat of drinking water crisis due to unprecedented sharp fall in water table at its sources in the Cauvery, is mulling over supplying water on alternate days in the city.

The civic body supplies 122 MLD of water to its residents in the city through its 8 water works, in addition to the three water works operated by the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD).

There are 140 water tanks, with capacity ranging from one lakh litre to 30 lakh litre, in the 65 wards of the city.

The civic body hardly faces problems in supplying water to its residents in normal circumstances, as water would be available between 5 and 10 feet at its sources. But, the successive monsoon failure and severe drought have had its impact on the water table, which has depleted beyond 40 feet, forcing the Corporation to dig 11 additional bore wells to pump water to its wells in the Cauvery so as to pump out water to its tanks in different parts of the city.

According to sources, despite the fast depleting water table, the Corporation has managed to supply 118 MLD of water, as against 122 MLD, till Tuesday.

The short supply of 4 MLD was said to have caused problem to supplying water to residents in elevated planes of the city.

It has forced the residents to buy packaged water.

In the background of remote chances of the ground water table improving in near future, officials said that the difference was expected to only widen further in the next week, forcing them to draw up a contingency water supply plan for the city.

A meeting was held recently in Tiruchi to add final touches to the plan.

As per the plan, the civic body would resort to alternate day water supply for the first time in the recent years to tide over the crisis.

To facilitate the plan, it has divided the residential areas into two parts and respective overhead tanks.

“Alternate day water supply is the best available option to tide over the crisis. It will ensure supply of adequate water to all areas without any hitch. A decision will be taken within a week,” a senior officer of the Corporation told The Hindu.

As per the present arrangements, water pumping stations were working round-the-clock without any break. If the alternate day supply plan was enforced, the pumping stations would get a break of 4 to 5 hours thereby giving some time for water recharge, he added.