Farmers in Erode seek LBP canal water to save crops
Farmers in Erode held a demonstration demanding the release of water from the Bhavanisagar dam to save crops on over 1 lakh acres. They claim that irrigation shortages have persisted for 18 months, threatening local agriculture and water security.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing struggle for water rights and agricultural sustainability in rural India.
Urging the district administration to release water from the Bhavanisagar dam into the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal to save crops on 1.03 lakh acres, farmers staged a demonstration in Erode on Tuesday (October 13, 2026).
They said 1,03,500 acres served by the canal’s even-numbered sluice gates had been deprived of irrigation water for more than 18 months, leaving several areas drought-hit. The prolonged shortage was affecting coconut and other perennial crops, with coconut trees wilting in several places, the farmers said. They also cited difficulties in providing water for cattle and warned of a drinking water crisis in some areas.
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