Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Release water in advance, demand LBP farmers

Staff Reporter

`It will be useful for tail-end areas'

ERODE: The Lower Bhavani Project ayacut farmers have urged the district administration to release water for irrigation from August 1, 15 days ahead of the schedule.

Due to heavy rain in the catchment area, the inflow into the Lower Bhavani Project Reservoir at Bhavanisagar has increased. Today, the inflow into the dam is 3,910 cusecs and the water level is 74.87 feet as against the full level of 120 feet.

For irrigation

Only 1,100 cusecs of water is released in the river for irrigation in Thadapalli and Arakkankottai ayacuts and for drinking water needs of Sathyamangalam and Gobichettipalayam Municipalities and 16 other panchayats.

The farmers said as per schedule water would be released for irrigation of wet crop over one-lakh acres in the LBP first turn ayacuts from August 15.

`Increase quantum'

This year if water was released fifteen days in advance, it would be useful for the tail-end areas. They also urged the Collector to increase the quantum of discharge.

Usually a maximum of 2,100 cusecs of water would be released in the canal, but it would not reach the tail-end areas properly. So they urged the administration to release at least 2,400 cusecs daily.

The farmers wanted the Agricultural Department to keep stocks of Fine Variety paddy seeds in the godowns as it would fetch good price to them.

Kalingarayan ayacut

Farmers said that water had reached the tail-end areas of Kalingarayan ayacut only on Monday. Water was released 19 days ago and due to large scale illicit tapping of water by some farmers on the right bank of the canal, water had not reached the tail-end areas in time.

The farmers said that usually within nine or ten days it would reach the tail-end areas. This year due to shortage of agricultural labourers, paddy cultivable area in Kalingarayan ayacut would be reduced to 14,000 acres as against the 15,700 acres.

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