Plea seeks implementation of Pandiyar-Moyar water diversion project

Advocates push for Pandiyar-Moyar water diversion project to ensure water supply for various schemes in Tamil Nadu.

Farmers and experts are advocating for the implementation of a project to divert water from Pandiyar to Moyar to ensure sufficient water availability for various schemes, including the recently launched Athikadavu-Avinashi project.

A.N. Asaithambi, a retired Joint Director of Agriculture and coordinator of the Pandiyaru–Moyar Inaippu Kootiyakkam, explained to The Hindu that the dam currently receives water from the Moyar and Bhavani rivers, which feeds the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal, Kalingarayan Canal, and Thadapalli-Arakkankottai Canals. He noted that in its 70-year history, there have been 15 occasions where the dam has failed to provide water for irrigation on time, disrupting farming activities. “Dependence on the dam for water is very high and continues to grow,” he added.

Mr. Asaithambi pointed out that the Athikadavu-Avinashi project is designed to utilise only surplus water from the downstream of Kalingarayan Anicut on the Bhavani River for 70 days each year. “The demand for water, both for drinking and irrigation, is increasing, and combined water supply schemes will rely more heavily on Bhavani River in the coming years,” he said, adding that the only permanent solution is to increase the sources for the dam to draw water from.

Around 20 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water is wasted annually as it flows from the Pandiyar, originating in The Nilgiris, through Gudalur Municipality as the Punnampuzha River, and into Kerala as the Chaliyar River, eventually reaching the Arabian Sea. “This wasted water could be diverted into the Moyar to reach the dam,” he suggested.

Mr. Asaithambi also mentioned that the Pandiyar–Punnampuzha diversion scheme has been discussed since 1965, but despite talks between the Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments, there has been no progress. “It is crucial that this scheme is implemented without delay to address water needs in Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, and Karur districts, where rainfall is low,” he added.