Nilgiris Congress Body Urges Collector to Prioritise Drinking Water Over Power Generation

The Nilgiris District Congress Committee has written to the District Collector, urging authorities to conserve water in the district's dams for human consumption rather than using it for power generation. The request comes amid reports of acute water shortage in several parts of the district following a poor monsoon.

R. Ravikumar, general secretary of the Nilgiris District Congress Committee, said people in the Kundah, Kotagiri and Coonoor taluks were facing reduced water supply due to the deficient monsoon. He noted that water from the two dams in Emerald, which are primarily used for power generation, is now being diverted for drinking water requirements in the Wellington cantonment because of the prevailing shortage.

According to Mr. Ravikumar, the catchment areas have completely dried up after both dams were opened in 2024 and 2025. “Due to the monsoon failure and acute water shortage, it is imperative on the part of the administration to instruct the department concerned to use the available water judiciously only for drinking purposes,” he said. He added that the district administration has a responsibility to ensure that available water is not diverted for non-essential purposes during this period.

The committee has also called upon the District Collector to make a representation to the State government to declare Udhagamandalam, Kundah, Kotagiri and Coonoor as “drought-hit taluks”. Such a declaration would enable the administration to provide relief measures and better manage the water crisis.

Water scarcity in the Nilgiris has been a recurring issue, particularly in regions dependent on rain-fed catchments and reservoirs. The Emerald dams were originally built for hydroelectric power generation, but have increasingly been tapped for drinking water needs as local streams and springs have failed during dry spells. Locals have previously raised concerns about maintaining ecological flows in the region's rivers and ensuring water availability for both residents and agriculture.

Observers note that the district administration faces the challenge of balancing competing demands for water, especially when reservoirs are low. While the request from the Congress committee is political, it highlights the broader need for a comprehensive water management plan that prioritises essential human needs, particularly during periods of drought.

The District Collector has not yet issued a public response to the letter. However, officials have indicated that water allocation decisions are typically made based on the advice of the Public Works Department and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, which oversees the dams. The State government has not yet commented on the demand to declare the four taluks as drought-affected.