Residents across rural and urban areas of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu are facing irregular drinking water supply as inflows to the Hogenakkal reservoir continue to fall, putting pressure on the Hogenakkal Drinking Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation Project — one of the state's largest protected water schemes. The disruption, reported as of 5 July, has left lakhs of residents in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts struggling to secure adequate potable water for daily use.

How the Supply Has Changed on the Ground

Residents in rural parts of Dharmapuri say water that was earlier delivered daily is now arriving only once every two to three days in some localities, with the duration of each supply also reportedly cut short. The reduced frequency is making it difficult for households to store enough water to bridge the gaps.

Falling groundwater levels, attributed to inadequate rainfall this season, have further narrowed the alternatives available to villages in the district. With few substitute sources, the dependence on the Hogenakkal scheme has intensified even as its delivery becomes less predictable.

Panchapalli Supply Pressed Into Service, Quality Concerns Emerge

In parts of Dharmapuri municipality, residents say they have not been receiving Hogenakkal scheme water regularly and are instead being served through the Panchapalli water project. They allege the alternative supply is of comparatively poorer quality and is available only on alternate days, compounding the hardship for consumers who had come to rely on the fluorosis-safe Hogenakkal water.

Concerns have also surfaced over distribution practices at the local body level. Public representatives and residents allege that groundwater is being mixed with treated Hogenakkal water in several local bodies to meet demand — a practice they argue undermines the core purpose of the fluorosis mitigation project, which was designed specifically to serve areas historically affected by high fluoride concentrations in groundwater.

What Officials Say

Officials associated with the Hogenakkal water supply project have disputed claims of a reduction in output. According to officials, the project continues to deliver approximately 145 million litres per day to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts despite the lower reservoir inflows. They said additional filtration measures have been introduced in response to changing water conditions, and that responsibility for equitable last-mile distribution rests with the respective local bodies.

The official position, in effect, draws a distinction between production at the project level and delivery at the consumer level — leaving the accountability gap squarely with local administration.

Background: Why Hogenakkal Matters

The Hogenakkal Drinking Water Supply and Fluorosis Mitigation Project was conceived to address a long-standing public health crisis — high fluoride levels in groundwater across Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, which had caused skeletal fluorosis in affected communities. The scheme was designed to provide treated, safe water as the primary source, replacing reliance on contaminated groundwater. Any dilution of that supply — whether through reduced frequency or mixing with untreated groundwater — risks reversing the health gains the project was built to deliver.

What Residents and Officials Are Watching

With the monsoon yet to meaningfully replenish the Hogenakkal reservoir, the situation is unlikely to ease in the near term unless inflows improve. Local bodies face pressure to ensure equitable distribution without compromising water quality. How district administration and the project authorities coordinate on last-mile delivery in the coming weeks will determine whether the supply crisis deepens ahead of peak summer demand.