COIMBATORE: More than 1,500 farmers staged a demonstration in Pollachi near Coimbatore on Tuesday demanding the state to stop implementing a combined drinking water scheme for Oddanchatram in Dindugul by taking water from Aliyar Dam.
The farmers, who have threatened to hold a series of protests, said that a government order has been issued to execute the drinking water project at a cost of Rs 930 crore. They contended that the dam’s water is already insufficient to fulfill drinking water requirements and irrigation needs of farmers here. More than 4.25 lakh acres of farmland are irrigated under PAP project on Aliyar and Palar river basins in Coimbatore and Tirupur. Also, around 7.25 TMC is given to neighbouring Kerala every year as per a water sharing agreement.
Moreover, the drinking water requirements in areas around Pollachi and Coimbatore were being fulfilled with water extracted from the dam. Demanding to drop the project, the farmers from both Aliyar old and new ayacut areas participated.
“There was no demand from any local bodies in Oddanchatram to bring water from Aliyar. Being so, if water is taken from Aliyar, then it may become insufficient for farming under PAP scheme,” said M Senthil, secretary, New Ayacut Basin of PAP.
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