Villagers In Tamil Nadu Pray For Divine Intervention In Order To Be Included In An Irrigation Project
Update: 2022-04-15 09:45 IST
Representational Image
People from Coimbatore on Thursday, Tiruppur, and Erode arrived to the banks of the Bhavani river near the Vanabathrakali Amman temple in Mettupalayam for a tradition ceremony that has been going on since 2015.
On Tamil New Year's Day, they obtained water from the river and carried it back to their villages, where they performed abhishekam to the local deity. The ritual is performed by them to pray for the Avinashi Athikadavu Ground Water Recharge Project to be implemented.
MS Sambathkumar, the convener of the Avinashi Athikadavu Water Project Struggle Committee, stated that they began drawing water from the river in order to persuade the government to enforce the water plan. Since 2015, we have done this every year on Tamil New Year. In February 2016, the State government allocated '327 crore for the project as a result of our persistent protests. The project began in the year 2019. They included 1,045 water bodies in the project's initial phase. 900 water bodies in Annur, Avinashi, Karamadai, Tirupur North, Nambiyur, and Perundurai, on the other hand, have been ignored.
He noted that after that, they have been pleading with God to include other bodies of water in the project. All 25 water bodies in Thoraiyur village in Avinashi block, in particular, have been neglected.
Using water from the Bhavani river, the project seeks to irrigate 24,468 acres in drought-prone areas. Tanks, ponds, and check dams in the Erode, Tirupur, and Coimbatore districts are among the watercourses to be irrigated.
Perundurai, Chennimalai, Nambiyur, Gobichettipalayam, Bhavanisagar, Uthukuli, Avinashi, Tirupur, Annur, Sulur, Sarkarsamakulam, Periyanaickenpalayam, and Karamadai are among the blocks included, reported The News Indian Express. The project work began in February 2019 to meet the needs of people for five-decades.