5 days ago
Plea for early release of water from Bhavanisagar Dam to aid farmers
The Environment Wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has urged the State Government to advance the release of water from the Lower Bhavani Dam (also known as Bhavanisagar Dam) to August 1, 2025, in a bid to address the escalating water scarcity affecting farmers in Erode, Tiruppur, and Karur districts.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the wing's secretary, Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, highlighted that these key agricultural districts are situated in a rain shadow region and have been severely impacted by poor monsoon rainfall in the recent years.
Despite dry conditions in the plains, he noted that the Western Ghats catchment areas have received good rainfall this season, resulting in a water level of 96.20 feet in the dam as of July 14, with a storage of 25.85 tmc ft against its full capacity of 32.8 tmc ft. 'The current storage level presents a timely opportunity to support our farmers by ensuring water availability for the upcoming agricultural season,' he said.
Mr. Sivasenapathy warned that delaying the scheduled release from August 15 could disrupt crop planning and agricultural operations, further burdening the already distressed farming community. He appealed to the Chief Minister to instruct the Water Resources Department (WRD) to begin releasing water by August 1. 'An early release would provide relief to thousands of farmers, enabling them to begin their agricultural activities without delay,' he added.
He also expressed confidence that the State Government would take proactive steps under the Chief Minister's leadership to safeguard farmer livelihoods and ensure water security in the regions.
It may be recalled that 94% of the renovation work in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal system has already been completed, with the remaining work expected to be finished before August 15. The WRD had earlier stated that water could be released for irrigation only after the completion of these works.
