Udhagamandalam Municipality has undertaken the restoration of 23 wells across its limits to help provide drinking water to residents, as an impending water crisis looms in the district, including the district headquarters of Udhagamandalam.
The municipality said that its jurisdictional limits, spread over 30 square km in total area, was home to 88,430 people as per census records from 2011, but estimate that the population has increased to 1,10,540 since then. Officials said there were a total of 27,636 houses that required water, with the municipality supplying piped water to 15,598 houses and to 221 public taps.
The municipality stated that 11.86 megalitres per day of water was being supplied from the major water sources of Parsons Valley and other water sources within municipality limits to local residents. They said that 23 wards were being supplied with water every two days, and residents in 12 other wards were being supplied with water every three days while another ward was being supplied with drinking water every six days.
To ensure that there is drinking water being supplied to residents as the summer season progresses, 23 wells located within the town are set to be restored and desilted, while repairs are also to be made to ensure that water can be pumped from the wells for distribution to residential areas. Five additional water tankers are also to be rented by the municipality as part of its water distribution network till the end of the summer.
There was some respite from the high summer temperatures in parts of the Nilgiris on early Friday morning as steady rainfall was reported in parts of the district, including Coonoor, Yedappally, Hulical and Kotagiri.
