Farmers have urged the district administration not to go ahead with the turn system for Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) ayacut areas during the current paddy cultivation season.
In a petition submitted to the District Collector H. Krishnanunni at the Collectorate here on Monday, members of Keel Bhavani Murai Neer Pasana Vivasaigal Kootamaippu and Keel Bhavani Ayacut Nila Urimaiyalargal Sangam, said that 2,300 cusecs of water was discharged from Bhavanisagar reservoir into LBP canal for irrigating 1.03 lakh acres in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts. Water was released in August for carrying out paddy cultivation and farmers were preparing their land. “Even before cultivation began, Water Resources Department (WRD) officials had announced that water would be supplied only for 13,000 acre from each distribution channel,” they said.
Farmers said that providing water only during particular time to a farmer would affect the cultivation process. The petition said that water was yet to reach the tail-end farmers. “The WRD had introduced a turn system for water distribution so that water would reach the tail-end farmers”, the petition said and added that farmers would not receive adequate water during ploughing and cultivation. The petition pointed out that the WRD could not supply adequate water to the farmers for cultivation and hence urged the administration not to introduce a turn system for paddy.
