With water in catchment areas to Bhavanisagar dam in Erode dropping over the years, farmers are urging the T.N. government to carry out a detailed study, to divert water from the Pandiyar river in the Nilgiris to the Moyar river, so that water for irrigation and for drinking, would be continually available.
The river Bhavani originates in Kundha in the Nilgiris, while the Moyar originates in Gudalur – Mukurthi and enters the Bhavanisagar dam. Water is released from the dam into river Bhavani, the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal, the Kalingarayan canal, and the Arakkankottai and Thadapalli canals, to help irrigate over 2 lakh acres in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur.
Also, water drawn from river Bhavani under the upcoming Athikadavu -Avinashi project is due to recharge water bodies and help in irrigation in Erode, Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. But, due to poor rain in the catchment areas, adequate water is not available in the dam for cultivation and drinking water purposes.
“There is an urgent need to implement a new scheme, Pandiyar–Moyar, so that water needs in the four districts are solved permanently,” said A.N. Asaithambi, a retired joint director of agriculture.
Mr. Asaithambi recently led a team comprising farmers, social activists and retired government officials and inspected water catchment areas in the Nilgiris. He said 14 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water is wasted annually, as water from Pandiyar enters Kerala and then enters the Arabian Sea. “The Pandiyar–Punnampuzha diversion scheme has been in talks since 1965,” he said and added that a Pandiyar–Moyar scheme would solve this region’s water problems permanently.
Mr. Asaithambi also said two streams join to form the Punnampuzha river at the entrance of Gudalur municipality while Pandiyar and Punnampuzha confluence at Arottuparai in O’Valley in Gudalur. “The streams enter Kerala as the Chaliyar river and then enter the sea without benefiting anyone,” he said. He wanted a study to be conducted to divert water from Pandiyar to reach Moyar. “If Moyar carries water regularly to the dam, there will be no water shortage for irrigation or for drinking water,” he said.
