COIMBATORE: Making history of sorts, the Vellalore pond in the suburbs of Coimbatore got water after 25 long years following the efforts made by Coimbatore based NGOs.
In the wake of heavy rainfall in the Nilgiris in the last ten days, the surplus monsoon waters from Kundha and Pillur dams have been released into the Bhavani river.
On Friday morning, Pillur dam was receiving an inflow of 7, 132 cusecs and 6,500 cusecs feet was being released. The dam can store water to a level of 95.75-ft.
Significantly, for the seventh consecutive day, water was being released into the Bhavani river near here on Friday. At Mettupalayam point, the river continues to flow slightly above its danger mark, a situation that is being constantly monitored.
While the 24 ponds in Coimbatore including eight inside the city limits, are receiving a decent inflow, all ponds are inter-connected and receive water inflows from the Noyal river during the monsoon season except for the Vellalore pond.
The ‘Rajavaikal’ carries water to the Vellalore pond but was encroached by constructions and hence transformed into a sewage canal.
However, Coimbatore-based NGOs and various college students cleaned the channel during the weekends and finally the pond received a meager inflow of 20 cusecs on Friday.Responding to the long-pending demand of the NGOs and activists, municipal administration and rural development minister SP Velumani has taken the initiative to clean the ‘Rajavaikal’ and remove all the encroachments on it.
