Lower Bhavani farmers resume protest seeking G.O. for release of water

Around 50 farmers who rely on the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal reinitiated their protest outside the District Revenue Officer's office in Erode on Tuesday (August 11, 2026). Their demand was for the immediate release of a government order (G.O.) to release water into the canal. Earlier, on August 6, over 500 farmers from Erode, Karur, and Tiruppur districts gathered at the Collectorate premises, displaying withered sugarcane plants and pleading with the State government to release water into the LBP canal.

Their plea was prompted by the failure of the Southwest monsoon, which had left crops under severe moisture stress. The farmers warned that the failure to release water would jeopardize crops cultivated on approximately 2.07 lakh acres within the LBP command area and threaten drinking water sources dependent on the canal. Initially, the protest was halted when District Revenue Officer S. Santhakumar assured the farmers that a government order for water release would be obtained by August 11.

However, the farmers returned to the Collectorate on Tuesday, questioning the status of the promised order. Despite assurances, officials cited delays and continued to provide no clear answers, leading the farmers to resume their demonstration in front of the DRO's office in the afternoon. They vowed to maintain the protest until the government order was issued.

At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the water level in Bhavanisagar Dam was recorded at 58.51 feet, short of its full reservoir level of 105 feet. The reservoir contained 6.78 tmc ft of water, while its total capacity was 32.8 tmc ft. The inflow to the dam was 3,405 cusecs, and the total outflow was 905 cusecs.