Farmers have urged the Water Resources minister to reject the project entirely, citing their dissatisfaction with the survey to take down trees on both banks in order to lay concrete to update the downstream irrigation canal. Millions of farmers in the Tirupur, Erode, and Karur districts rely on the Keelpawani Irrigation Scheme. Annually, 2 lakh 7 thousand acres of agricultural land have been used. The Keelpawani Irrigation Canal Project is the largest irrigated area project in tamil Nadu Canal Irrigation.
The government has devised plans to renovate the canal, which include the installation of concrete bases in the main and branch canals, as well as concrete ramps in the lateral sections. Farmers claim that if the project goes through, it will have a significant impact on agriculture. Farmers met with tamil Nadu Water Resources minister Duraimurugan and begged him to scrap the project and clear the land.
"As it is a soil canal, tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land would be used by leaking water and groundwater when the water pours in," M. Ravi, co-ordinator of the Keelpavani Irrigation Movement, stated. On both banks of the canal, there are millions of ancient trees. The Keelpavani Irrigation Canal will thus have a direct impact on the ground water of 163 revenue villages in three districts: Erode, Tiruppur, and Karur. The settlements' drinking water demand, as well as groundwater levels and irrigation of agricultural land gained through leachate, will be impacted.
The government has devised plans to renovate the canal, which include the installation of concrete bases in the main and branch canals, as well as concrete ramps in the lateral sections. Farmers claim that if the project goes through, it will have a significant impact on agriculture. Farmers met with tamil Nadu Water Resources minister Duraimurugan and begged him to scrap the project and clear the land.
"As it is a soil canal, tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land would be used by leaking water and groundwater when the water pours in," M. Ravi, co-ordinator of the Keelpavani Irrigation Movement, stated. On both banks of the canal, there are millions of ancient trees. The Keelpavani Irrigation Canal will thus have a direct impact on the ground water of 163 revenue villages in three districts: Erode, Tiruppur, and Karur. The settlements' drinking water demand, as well as groundwater levels and irrigation of agricultural land gained through leachate, will be impacted.
