A view of the Malampuzha reservoir in Palakkad on Wednesday.—Photo: K. K. MustafahDrought-like situation emerges across district as water level dips in major damsWith a 34 per cent decrease in average rainfall between June and September this year, Palakkad district is slowly inching towards a major drinking water scarcity and agricultural loss. Acute drinking water scarcity is now gripping the Chittur and Attappady regions where agricultural activities have also came to a standstill. As far as Malampuzha is concerned, the largest drinking water reservoir in the State, it carries drinking water hardly for 18 more days. The dam is meeting daily drinking water needs of Palakkad municipality and five grama panchayats surrounding it. Major drinking water projects in the Bharathapuzha river basin are dependent on the reservoir during acute summer to meet the needs of towns such as Ottappalam and Shoranur.

Source: The Hindu October 20, 2016 00:10 UTC