Ryots lay siege to Amaravathi dam over drinking water release

COIMBATORE: Farmers from the old and new ayacut irrigation regions in Tirupur district on Wednesday laid siege to the Amaravathi Dam, demanding that the state government withdraw its order to release water from the reservoir for drinking water supply and instead allocate it to save standing crops affected by acute water scarcity.

The protest comes as the storage in the 90-foot-high dam has fallen to 50 feet following a deficit in the southwest monsoon. Despite poor inflows, the State ordered the release of water from July 15 to July 21, at a rate not exceeding 414 cubic feet per second, exclusively to meet the drinking water requirements of people in Tirupur.

Opposing the decision, the farmers said nearly 5,000 acres of sugarcane crop had already withered, while coconut plantations were under severe stress. They argued that releasing water under the present conditions would reduce the reservoir level to below 30 feet, making it impossible to supply water for irrigation.

They also pointed out that water had already been released on June 19 for the Dharapuram Drinking Water Scheme and contended that the reservoir should not be tapped again for drinking water.

Following nearly three hours of protest, officials from the revenue and water resources departments assured the farmers that water would not be released from the dam immediately and that their demands would be considered. The farmers then called off the agitation.

The Amaravathi Dam irrigates 54,637 acres of farmland across Tirupur and Karur districts, including 29,387 acres under the old ayacut system and 25,250 acres under the new ayacut system.