Water was released from the Bhavanisagar Dam on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) for 15 days to provide special irrigation to standing crops in the Kalingarayan Canal ayacut in Erode district. The release will also help meet the drinking water needs of livestock in the command area.
According to a State government order, up to 648 million cubic feet (mcft) of water will be released from July 14 to 28 to irrigate 15,743 acres under the Kalingarayan Canal system. The order said the release was approved based on proposals submitted by the Chief Engineer, Water Resources Department (WRD), Coimbatore Region, the Erode District Collector, and the Engineer-in-Chief and Chief Engineer (General), WRD. The quantum of water released will be regulated based on the storage in the dam and the inflow into the reservoir.
At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the water level in the Bhavanisagar Dam stood at 59.57 feet against its full reservoir level of 105 feet. The reservoir had a storage of 7.11 tmcft against its full capacity of 32.8 tmcft. The inflow was 368 cusecs and the total outflow was 955 cusecs.
Farmers said turmeric is the major crop cultivated in the Kalingarayan ayacut, apart from banana, sugarcane and paddy. Water is usually released into the canal on June 16 every year for irrigation. This year, however, the release was first deferred to June 28 owing to the delay in completing development works and poor storage in the reservoir. As the storage failed to improve, the release was postponed indefinitely. Farmer associations had urged the government to release water to save standing crops and provide drinking water for cattle. Following the recommendation of the Erode district Collector, the government sanctioned the release for 15 days.
The release has triggered concern among farmers’ associations in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) ayacut, which are expected to discuss their next course of action.
Published - July 14, 2026 07:02 pm IST