Kalingarayan farmers seek water for irrigation in Erode
Farmers belonging to the Kalingarayan Farmers and Workers Welfare Association staged a protest in Erode demanding the release of water for irrigation through the Kalingarayan Canal. The protesters argued that adequate water remains in the Bhavanisagar dam to support standing crops if managed efficiently.
Why it matters
Water resource allocation disputes highlight the ongoing challenges agricultural communities face due to infrastructure constraints and changing seasonal water availability.
Members of the Kalingarayan Farmers and Workers Welfare Association, led by its president P.K. Sethuraja, staged a sit-in protest on the Collectorate campus here on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), seeking release of water for irrigation through the Kalingarayan Canal.
The farmers said, usually, water was released into the canal continuously for 315 days every year, from June 16 to April 30. However, this year, owing to construction works and water shortage in the Bhavanisagar dam, only a limited quantity was released to save standing crops, which was inadequate for cultivation.
About 1.5 tmcft of water remained in the dam after releases for irrigation, the farmers claimed. Seepage water was flowing into the Bhavani river during the monsoon. If the available water in the dam and the seepage water were used efficiently, it could provide water for nearly one crop, they said.
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