Farmers in Tirupur district have announced an indefinite hunger strike from October 29, demanding irrigation water for around 1,500 acres at the tail end of the Parambikulam–Aliyar Project’s Vellakovil branch canal system. The protest will be held at the premises of the PAP Vellakovil Branch Canal (Kangayam–Vellakovil) Water Conservation Association on Karur Road at Bhagavathipalayam Section in Veeranampalayam village, Kangayam.
The association says the affected land is repeatedly being left without irrigation even as water drawals from the wider project have increased. P Jegadeeshwaran, the association’s treasurer, said the Vellakovil branch canal command covers 48,000 acres, divided into four zones of 12,000 acres each. Water is generally supplied to two zones each year, in cycles running from January to June and June to December.
According to Jegadeeshwaran, the Kangayam–Vellakovil stretch accounts for one-eighth of the ayacut irrigated from Thirumoorthy dam. However, only about 10,500 acres are currently receiving water, while approximately 1,500 acres are consistently excluded, he said. The association has demanded that supply be distributed more evenly across the command area.
Farmers have alleged that the drawal per rotation has increased from about 1 thousand million cubic feet, or TMC, to around 2.5 TMC, without ensuring that water reaches the Vellakovil branch canal in full. The Water Resources Department has cited theft and unaccounted losses, according to the association. Farmers, however, argue that distribution from Coimbatore through the Tirupur–Karur border should follow the applicable rules and remain equitable.
Association president P Velusamy said farmers had pursued protests and legal remedies for more than five years over the issue. The association also claimed, citing official PAP data, that some branch canals were drawing between 30% and 60% more than their sanctioned limits. These claims were reported by the Times of India and could not be independently assessed from the material available.
The farmers have sought an increase in the water level at the Vellakovil branch canal’s “zero point” from 4.5 feet to 4.8 feet. They are also demanding a seven-day rotational supply at each sluice gate, similar to the system followed in other PAP command areas, and enforcement of PAP Act 20/1993 along with directions issued by the Madras High Court.
A meeting at the Kangayam Water Resources Department sub-divisional office on Friday did not provide the association with a clear assurance, according to its representatives. The association subsequently decided to proceed with the hunger strike. The PAP system provides irrigation to about 4.25 lakh acres in Coimbatore and Tirupur, while Thirumoorthy dam is reported to irrigate approximately 3.77 lakh acres.
