After 67 years, the Athikadavu-Avinashi project in Tamil Nadu is finally becoming a reality. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will commission the scheme via video conferencing on August 17, 2024, benefiting three districts with water for irrigation and groundwater recharge.
Coimbatore: The long-awaited Athikadavu-Avinashi project, conceived 67 years ago, is finally set to become a reality as Chief Minister M.K. Stalin prepares to commission the scheme through video conferencing on Saturday, August 17, 2024. This ambitious project aims to divert 1.5 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of surplus water from the Bhavani river, benefiting Erode, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore districts.
The project, which has seen numerous iterations and delays over the decades, will utilize surplus water from the Bhavani river to fill 1,045 water bodies and irrigate 24,468 acres of farmland. The Bhavani river, originating from the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats, travels through Kerala before re-entering Tamil Nadu at Athikadavu near Pilloor dam in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district.
The scheme, initially proposed as the Upper Bhavani Project, has a long and complex history. It was first presented to then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj in 1957 by farmers seeking to divert surplus water through open canals to dry areas in the erstwhile Coimbatore district. Over the years, various state governments took steps to implement the project, including the formation of a technical expert committee in 2009 under A. Mohanakrishnan, which confirmed the viability of diverting 2 tmc ft of water during flood flows.
In 1972, the project was renamed the Athikadavu-Avinashi Ground Water Recharge and Drinking Water Supply Scheme. Former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced its implementation in 2016-17 and laid the foundation stone on February 28, 2019, with an initial budget of ₹1,652 crore. The project scope was later expanded to include 32 Public Works Department tanks, 42 union tanks, and 971 ponds across three districts, with a revised cost of ₹1,758.88 crore.
Despite facing challenges such as land acquisition delays, obtaining right-to-use permissions from farmers for laying pipelines, and the non-availability of surplus water, the project persevered. A trial run was completed in January 2023, and necessary rectifications were made to the feeder lines. The final project cost stands at ₹1,916.41 crore, a significant increase from the initially proposed ₹134 crore.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy confirmed on August 15, 2024, that adequate water is available for pumping, paving the way for the project's commissioning. The scheme is executed on a design, build, operate, and transfer (DBOT) basis, with the contractor responsible for operation and maintenance for 60 months post-commissioning.
As the project nears its launch, farmers, social welfare organizations, and the public are already looking ahead, demanding the inclusion of 1,200 leftover water bodies in a proposed second phase. D. Prabhu, convenor of the Athikadavu-Avinashi Project Struggle Committee, emphasized the potential benefits for the entire western region of the state and urged the government to initiate work on the second phase promptly.
The project, which has seen numerous iterations and delays over the decades, will utilize surplus water from the Bhavani river to fill 1,045 water bodies and irrigate 24,468 acres of farmland. The Bhavani river, originating from the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats, travels through Kerala before re-entering Tamil Nadu at Athikadavu near Pilloor dam in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district.
The scheme, initially proposed as the Upper Bhavani Project, has a long and complex history. It was first presented to then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj in 1957 by farmers seeking to divert surplus water through open canals to dry areas in the erstwhile Coimbatore district. Over the years, various state governments took steps to implement the project, including the formation of a technical expert committee in 2009 under A. Mohanakrishnan, which confirmed the viability of diverting 2 tmc ft of water during flood flows.
In 1972, the project was renamed the Athikadavu-Avinashi Ground Water Recharge and Drinking Water Supply Scheme. Former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced its implementation in 2016-17 and laid the foundation stone on February 28, 2019, with an initial budget of ₹1,652 crore. The project scope was later expanded to include 32 Public Works Department tanks, 42 union tanks, and 971 ponds across three districts, with a revised cost of ₹1,758.88 crore.
Despite facing challenges such as land acquisition delays, obtaining right-to-use permissions from farmers for laying pipelines, and the non-availability of surplus water, the project persevered. A trial run was completed in January 2023, and necessary rectifications were made to the feeder lines. The final project cost stands at ₹1,916.41 crore, a significant increase from the initially proposed ₹134 crore.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy confirmed on August 15, 2024, that adequate water is available for pumping, paving the way for the project's commissioning. The scheme is executed on a design, build, operate, and transfer (DBOT) basis, with the contractor responsible for operation and maintenance for 60 months post-commissioning.
As the project nears its launch, farmers, social welfare organizations, and the public are already looking ahead, demanding the inclusion of 1,200 leftover water bodies in a proposed second phase. D. Prabhu, convenor of the Athikadavu-Avinashi Project Struggle Committee, emphasized the potential benefits for the entire western region of the state and urged the government to initiate work on the second phase promptly.