Latest news with #PillurScheme3
New Indian Express
27-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Water supply hit in Coimbatore as Pillur Dam shutters open amid overflow
COIMBATORE: Water supply to several residential areas in Coimbatore was disrupted on Saturday as officials were forced to halt drawing water from the Pillur Dam after it reached its full storage capacity of 100 feet on Friday night. The opening of the dam's shutters, a standard protocol to manage excess water, affected operations under the Pillur Scheme 3, a major drinking water project for the city. Executed jointly by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board and the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), the Pillur Scheme 3 project aims to supply 178.30 million litres per day (MLD) of water to the expanded areas of the city. The Rs 780-crore scheme draws water from the Bhavani Barrage-1, located downstream of the Pillur Dam near Mettupalayam, and includes an extensive infrastructure network of wells, tunnels, pipelines, treatment plants, and overhead tanks. However, during the monsoon season, when the dam's level reaches the 100-foot mark, the shutters are opened to release surplus water to prevent flooding. When over 10,000 cusecs of water is released, all eight shutters of the Bhavani Barrage-1 are also opened, making it impossible for officials to draw water for city supply.
New Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
When Pillur Dam overflows, taps run dry in Kovai city
COIMBATORE: As if poor road conditions and much worse solid waste management works were not enough, the people of Coimbatore city have to put up with irregular drinking water supply too. The supply to the city had to be suspended for nearly three days in June during heavy rains due to constraints in drawing water from the Bhavani River under the Pillur 3 Water Supply Improvement Scheme after the shutters were opened and the water flowed out. Under the Pillur Scheme 3, water is drawn from the Bhavani Barrage-1 near the Pillur Dam in Mettupalayam. The project aims to supply 178.30 MLD of water to the newly incorporated areas under the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) limits as well. During the rainy season, when the Pillur Dam is about to reach its full storage level of 100 feet, the surplus water is released from the dam. When over 10,000 cusecs of water is released from the dam, all the eight shutters of the Bhavani Barrage-1 are opened to prevent floods. When the shutters are open, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board can't draw water from the barrage for the Pillur Scheme 3, forcing the suspension of water supply for over three days. This issue was identified only recently by the TWAD Board and the CCMC which had executed the project "The recent rains have thrown the spotlight on a major water supply issue in Pillur Scheme 3. Water from Pillur Scheme 1 is no longer supplied to Coimbatore and has been diverted completely to Tiruppur, ever since the Pillur Scheme 3 has been implemented. And with the officials not able to draw water from the river during the rainy season, water supply has been severely affected," said V Kathirvel, CCMC North Zonal Chairperson.
