CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board has deemed the water in Vaigai dam, which is supplied to Madurai and Theni districts, to be not suitable for drinking due to alarming level of pollution.
According to a report in Daily Thanthi, TWAD Board Executive Engineer Stephen sent the report about the quality of water in Vaigai dam to the District Collectors of Theni and Madurai.
"The water at the bottom of the Vaigai dam has become polluted and has turned a dark green colour. Despite various purification methods, the water could not be completely purified. Therefore, the current water is not suitable for drinking. There is a risk of infectious diseases if people use the water," the report said.
The 71-foot-high Vaigai dam is a major source of drinking water for Theni, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts. Due to the intense summer heat and insufficient water inflow, the water level of the dam has now dropped to 20.83 feet. If it goes below 20 feet, it will be impossible to supply water for drinking water projects from the dam, the report said.
In this situation, the supply of water to the areas within Madurai Corporation has been completely stopped. Due to this, the public in Madurai city and areas including Usilampatti and Setapatti are suffering from water shortage, the report added.
Currently, only a few parts of Theni district are being supplied with drinking water, that too on a rotational basis from the limited amount of water available in the dam. However, officials said that the storage is sufficient only for a few more days.
This has led to a growing demand for the release of additional water from the Mullaiperiyar dam to meet the drinking water demand, the Daily Thanthi report added.