Taps run dry at Govt. Hospital wards in Coonoor

Municipality cites severe water crisis for not making daily supply to the hospital

The severe water crisis in Coonoor has affected the Government Hospital in Coonoor, with taps, including those in the toilets, running dry over the last few days.

According to sources at the hospital, it requires an average of 30,000 litres of water a day, both for treatment and for basic amenities. However, with Coonoor town itself reeling under severe water shortage, and with some parts not receiving water for up to two weeks, the municipality says that it does not have enough water for a daily supply to the hospital.

An official from the municipality says that the Ralliah reservoir, the prime source of drinking water for the town, has less than 10 % of its total capacity of 160 million litres left in storage.

“When there is water aplenty in the reservoir, we draw around two million litres a day to supply to Coonoor town, but as there is very little water left, we can draw only around half a million litres from the dam,” said the official, adding that unless the monsoon sets in, the water crisis will only deepen in Coonoor over the coming weeks.

For now, the municipality is supplying water to the government hospital once in two days through water tanker. In order to keep the hospital functioning, the Health Department is purchasing water from private water suppliers, with a single load of water costing as much as ₹ 1,000.

“As we cannot meet the demand at the hospital, we have enforced strict water saving methods, prioritising supply to casualty and maternity wards, and for essential services,” said a Health Department official. Toilets too have not had piped water supply over the last few days. “People admitted to the general wards too have been advised to avoid taking showers, and we are trying to minimise wastage,” the official added.

Source: Read Full Article