A dearth of rain in the Nilgiris district this monsoon season is having an unusual impact on the town of Coonoor, where the Ralliah Dam, the town’s primary water source, has gone almost dry over the past week, sparking concerns of water shortage among residents.

According to sources in the Horticulture Department, there has been over 55% shortfall in rains from the southwest monsoon around Udhagamandalam this year. Officials, however, said there is no impending water crisis in Udhagamandalam due to the steady rains in the catchments of the district’s major dams supplying water to the town.

The situation, however, is not as optimistic for Coonoor town. Speaking to The Hindu, Sharan Deep Singh, a resident of Bettatti near Coonoor and an activist working to protect waterbodies around the town, said he fears a difficult year ahead if the northeast monsoon, which brings most of the rain for Coonoor, fails this year. “We have rarely seen water levels this low at the Ralliah Dam,” he said, adding that a lack of rain is also depleting underground aquifers. 

S. Manogaran, president of the Coonoor Consumer Protection Association, said a lack of preparedness exhibited by the local bodies had led to the current situation. “The municipality must now wake up and desilt the dam to improve storage, and also remove invasive species of trees such as eucalyptus, which had been planted around the waterbody and are known to have high water demands,” said Mr. Manogaran.

Local activists also called for studies to understand the carrying capacity of Coonoor town, which has witnessed a real-estate boom over the past five years. “The dam was built ... to cater to a town with a fraction of its current population. However, over the past few decades, intensive agriculture and a boom in construction of private resorts and residential buildings have put a strain on the town’s finite water resources. The local body must undertake studies to understand the town’s carrying capacity and plan infrastructure accordingly,” said a conservationist from the Nilgiris.

When contacted, officials from the Coonoor Municipality said that they were ensuring that water is being supplied to local residents once every seven to ten days. “Although there is no water in Ralliah Dam for supply to local residents, the Combined Water Supply Scheme in Emerald ensures that there is enough water at the moment to fulfil local demand,” said an official from the Coonoor Municipality.

Published - August 20, 2026 07:52 pm IST