Coimbatore mayor P Rajkumar on Tuesday requested the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) to reduce power cuts which affect water supply from the Pillur reservoir to the city.
Rajkumar on Tuesday held a meeting with officials of Tangedco and Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board in the wake of complaints from the residents about erratic supply of Pillur water. He requested Tangedco to reduce power cuts which affect water supply from the Pillur reservoir to the city.
The city draws nearly 255 MLD of water from the Pillur reservoir.
"Four motors are used to pump water from the reservoir. But even when there is a power cut for 2-5 minutes, it takes us at least two hours to re-start the motor. This causes the delay in pumping water which affects the supply as well," said Dharmaraj, executive engineer of Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board.
TANGEDCO officials said that the power cables were laid through the forest to a distance of over 11km. "Since it is an elephant corridor, there are several reasons for the lines to get damaged. But we rectify the issue within minutes and ensure the power cut does not last over five minutes. But there are some limitations as we cannot enter the forest after evening," said a Tangedco engineer.
He added that they suggested that the civic body set up a standby generator that might cost about Rs 30 lakh.