Thanks to the Government of Tamil Nadu for protecting the welfare of farmers: Lower Bhavani Irrigation Farmers
Tirupur: A meeting of farmers was held at the Erode District Collectorate under the chairmanship of Tamil Nadu Housing Minister S. Muthusamy to protect the welfare of the Lower Bhavani irrigation farmers.
As promised in the election manifesto, Lower Bhavani canal will be repaired so that no farmer will be affected by the floods and a consultative meeting of farmers was held under the chairmanship of Karthikeya Sivasenapathy to thank the Minister and the department officials for announcing that water would be opened for irrigation as usual on August 15.
The Lower Bhavani Irrigation Canal Rehabilitation Concrete Project was announced in 2013 under the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa regime at a cost of 1230 crore rupees. As the project is a concrete project, various forms of struggles, conferences, seminars, demonstrations and road blockades were held across the irrigated areas under the leadership of farmer andagronomist Nammazhvar as the livelihood of the farmers would be severely affected. Lower Bhavani irrigation is set to irrigate about 2,07,000 acres. It is divided into two parts, 1,03,500 acres in the first part and the remaining 1,03,500 acres in the second part and irrigated only once in two years.
The main canal in the Lower Bhavani canal and the branch canal are all soil drains. When the second part of the irrigation facility is available, water will leak and the pond, puddle, wells and drinking water sources will be filled with the leaking water and will be used extensively. Similarly the first part will be irrigated while the second part will be irrigated with the leaked water source. 36 leachate ponds have been constructed to irrigate strategic lands and some areas and are irrigating about 40,000 acres.
More than 30 canals and streams irrigate about 50,000 acres of irrigated areas. If the concrete project is implemented, the lining on both the banks will not only cause leakage of water but also the farmers will be affected and millions of trees worth millions of rupees will be cut down on both banks of the canal and there will be a risk of environmental damage. This was taken to the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on behalf of the agriculture movements and she too accepted the views of the farmers and abruptly abandoned the project. But in 2020, the AIADMK government led by Edappadi Palanisamy again announced the project at the value of 730 crore rupees. The scheme which was completely against the farmers was declared under the misguidance of the Erode Drainage Supervising Engineer (Public Works Department).
For about 65 years since its inception, the Public Works Department has failed to notice that the Lower Bhavani irrigation canal has not been disturbed and the sand dunes have not been strengthened. At the present stage, the canal should be dug regularly and the soil on both the banks of the canal should be continuously poured and strengthened. With proper water management, shopkeepers can easily get agricultural irrigation facilities. Representatives of the agrarian movements who attended the meeting also commented that the entire irrigation facility would be available to the shopkeepers if the main canal and branch canals were not unnecessarily lined with concrete.
As promised in the election manifesto, Lower Bhavani canal will be repaired so that no farmer will be affected by the floods and a consultative meeting of farmers was held under the chairmanship of Karthikeya Sivasenapathy to thank the Minister and the department officials for announcing that water would be opened for irrigation as usual on August 15.
The Lower Bhavani Irrigation Canal Rehabilitation Concrete Project was announced in 2013 under the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa regime at a cost of 1230 crore rupees. As the project is a concrete project, various forms of struggles, conferences, seminars, demonstrations and road blockades were held across the irrigated areas under the leadership of farmer andagronomist Nammazhvar as the livelihood of the farmers would be severely affected. Lower Bhavani irrigation is set to irrigate about 2,07,000 acres. It is divided into two parts, 1,03,500 acres in the first part and the remaining 1,03,500 acres in the second part and irrigated only once in two years.
The main canal in the Lower Bhavani canal and the branch canal are all soil drains. When the second part of the irrigation facility is available, water will leak and the pond, puddle, wells and drinking water sources will be filled with the leaking water and will be used extensively. Similarly the first part will be irrigated while the second part will be irrigated with the leaked water source. 36 leachate ponds have been constructed to irrigate strategic lands and some areas and are irrigating about 40,000 acres.
More than 30 canals and streams irrigate about 50,000 acres of irrigated areas. If the concrete project is implemented, the lining on both the banks will not only cause leakage of water but also the farmers will be affected and millions of trees worth millions of rupees will be cut down on both banks of the canal and there will be a risk of environmental damage. This was taken to the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on behalf of the agriculture movements and she too accepted the views of the farmers and abruptly abandoned the project. But in 2020, the AIADMK government led by Edappadi Palanisamy again announced the project at the value of 730 crore rupees. The scheme which was completely against the farmers was declared under the misguidance of the Erode Drainage Supervising Engineer (Public Works Department).
For about 65 years since its inception, the Public Works Department has failed to notice that the Lower Bhavani irrigation canal has not been disturbed and the sand dunes have not been strengthened. At the present stage, the canal should be dug regularly and the soil on both the banks of the canal should be continuously poured and strengthened. With proper water management, shopkeepers can easily get agricultural irrigation facilities. Representatives of the agrarian movements who attended the meeting also commented that the entire irrigation facility would be available to the shopkeepers if the main canal and branch canals were not unnecessarily lined with concrete.