A large number of farmers cultivating in Pollachi and Thirumoorthy Hills are in celebration mode. The chief minister J Jayalalitha's announcement of releasing water from Aliyar dam on Wednesday has sent waves of happiness among the farmers in that region.
As the summer was too harsh this year and monsoons too are yet to arrive the farmers depend very much on irrigation. The crops which are mainly cultivated here are paddy, coconut and fruits like mango, sapota, Vegetables, nuts and pulses. Cotton is also cultivated in this belt. The release of water was delayed due to the election. From June 8th the water will be released regularly for next ten months.
The agricultural land here is mainly dominated by paddy as it is converted into the wetland. Nearly 6400 acres is irrigated. The five anicuts that will receive water is the Pallivilangal Anicut, Ariyapuram Anicut, Karaipatti Anicut, Periyanai Anicut and Vadakkalur Anicut.
The storage capacity of the dam being 120 ft. the water level stood at 84.65 ft. With the help of Parambilkulam Aliyar project the water harnessed from Bharathapuzha, Chalakudi and Periyar basis can be used for power production and irrigation for both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.