Vaigai dam water for Madurai can go on till May 20: Veera Raghava Rao

MADURAI: The fiasco over the attempt to use thermocol sheets to prevent evaporation of water from the Vaigai reservoir has not dampened the spirit of the district administration, which is looking for alternative methods to conserve water whose level is rapidly going down. A day after the experiment, when 200 thermocol sheets made to float on the reservoir were blown away by wind, the collector Veera Raghava Rao said that it was made only on an experimental basis.

The district administration had spent only Rs 8,000 on purchasing the thermocol sheets as some experts had recommended the method that was in vogue in western countries. “Now are planning to use either plastic balls or plastic sheets again on experimental basis to conserve 156 mcft (million cubic feet) in the reservoir. In a day one mcft of water is getting lost due to evaporation,” said the collector adding that six mcft of water has been drawn from the dam for supply of drinking water to Madurai.

With the available 156 mcft in the reservoir and 120 mcft of water that can be drawn from Periyar dam, it was possible to supply the drinking water for Madurai till May 20, he said. “If we prevent the one mcft water from evaporation, we can supply the water for some more days to the people,” he said.  Hence the district administration decided to float plastic balls or plastic sheets over an area of around 200 — 300 square feet in the reservoir on an experimental basis. “If it yields a positive result, we will extend it to more areas in the reservoir or try other methods,” said the collector.