Coonoor is facing an unprecedented drinking water crisis as the Ralliah Dam, the primary water source for the town's residents, has completely dried up following the failure of the monsoon rains. The severe depletion of the reservoir has left thousands of local households struggling to secure clean water for daily use. Currently, the Coonoor municipality is only able to supply piped drinking water once every two weeks, forcing residents to depend on alternative sources.

With the reservoir levels hitting rock bottom, the municipal administration has been pushed to ration water across all major wards. To mitigate the crisis, the authorities have deployed water tankers to the worst-affected areas, but residents report that the supply remains highly inadequate. The prolonged dry spell has severely disrupted normal life in the hill station, which usually boasts abundant natural water resources.

In response to the drying up of the reservoir, the Coonoor municipality is preparing to resume desilting operations to clear accumulated mud and silt. While the desilting process was initially launched a month ago, it had to be temporarily suspended due to a brief spell of rain. With the dam now completely dry, local officials plan to expedite the silt removal process to ensure that the reservoir can hold maximum water capacity when the rains eventually return.