Tamil Nadu farmers demand regulated water allocation for Athikadavu‑Avinashi project

Farmers dependent on the Lower Bhavani Project in Erode district have asked the district administration to set up a transparent, permanent system for supplying water to the state‑run Athikadavu‑Avinashi scheme. The project, which links about 1,045 ponds, tanks and lakes across Erode, Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts, aims to recharge water bodies using surplus river water.

The farmers want a water‑allocation framework similar to that used for existing irrigation networks, insisting that water be diverted only after the needs of the Lower Bhavani, Kalingarayan, Thadapalli and Arakkankottai canals are met. They doubt that sufficient surplus exists, noting the low level of the Bhavanisagar Dam, and fear that water may be taken from the dam in violation of norms. The Water Resources Department says the scheme is currently using only excess flow from recent rains—about 180 cusecs of a 298‑cusec surplus—well within the approved limit of 1.5 tmc, and that no rights of other irrigation projects are being affected.