Farmers around Udumalai, Madathukulam in Amaravathi staged a protest in the river, accusing industrial plants in Dindigul of stealing water, affecting their agriculture.
Tirupur: Farmers from the old and new Ayacut areas of Amaravathi in Madathukulam near Udumalai have been adversely affected by water theft, as industrial facilities reportedly siphon off large volumes of water for their use.
Despite the sweltering heat over the past two months which has led to reduced water inflows from the Amaravathi dam, governments had permitted the release of 1,000 cubic feet of water per day for five days to meet drinking water requirements in the Dharapuram area. Following this, water was released into the Amaravathi River yesterday.
However, farmers contend that the water intended for agricultural lands, where crops like rice, coconut, banana, and sugarcane are cultivated, over an area of about 50,000 acres, did not reach them due to illegal extraction by industries in the Dindigul district using unauthorized pipelines and motors.
Over a hundred farmers entered the Amaravathi River yesterday to protest, urging immediate removal of the illegal pipelines and demanding action against public officials allegedly colluding with industrialists.
They threatened to escalate their protests by besieging the Amaravathi dam the day after tomorrow if their demands are not met within two days.
Local authorities and officials from the Public Works Department are said to be in discussions to address the grievances of the protesting farmers and prevent future unauthorized extractions.
Despite the sweltering heat over the past two months which has led to reduced water inflows from the Amaravathi dam, governments had permitted the release of 1,000 cubic feet of water per day for five days to meet drinking water requirements in the Dharapuram area. Following this, water was released into the Amaravathi River yesterday.
However, farmers contend that the water intended for agricultural lands, where crops like rice, coconut, banana, and sugarcane are cultivated, over an area of about 50,000 acres, did not reach them due to illegal extraction by industries in the Dindigul district using unauthorized pipelines and motors.
Over a hundred farmers entered the Amaravathi River yesterday to protest, urging immediate removal of the illegal pipelines and demanding action against public officials allegedly colluding with industrialists.
They threatened to escalate their protests by besieging the Amaravathi dam the day after tomorrow if their demands are not met within two days.
Local authorities and officials from the Public Works Department are said to be in discussions to address the grievances of the protesting farmers and prevent future unauthorized extractions.