DHARMAPURI: Dharmapuri District Collector R Sadeesh on Thursday issued a flood alert and called for a temporary ban on all tourism activities in Hogenakkal as the water inflow into the River Cauvery began rising the previous day with the release of water from the Kabini and KRS dams in Karnataka.
The water level in the river at Hogenakkal gradually rose due to the abrupt release of over 55,000 cusecs of water from these dams.
The water level which was 18,000 cusecs at 6 am rose to 45,000 cusecs by Thursday evening. Anticipating further rise, Collector Sadheesh issued a ban on tourism till further notice.
Meanwhile, farmers have started urging the Dharmapuri district administration and the state government to take steps to implement the Cauvery Surplus Water Project whereby excess water would be diverted to lakes and ponds across the district.
Speaking to TNIE, R Sugumaran, a farmer from Pennagaram, said, "Despite the Cauvery flowing right through our district, it serves no purpose to the farmers here. Due to the terrain, we can only watch as the water gets drained into the seas. For nearly a decade, we have been urging the Tamil Nadu government to implement the Cauvery Surplus Water Project that would potentially improve every aspect of Dharmapuri's development. No action has been taken yet."
Another farmer, S Mariappan from Dharmapuri, said, "The Cauvery Surplus Water Project has been opposed by farmers in the delta districts citing impact on paddy production. Under this project, we only need flood water which otherwise drains into the sea; at most, we need 3 to 3.5 TMC of water to replenish our lakes. Presently, farmers are abandoning their fields and taking up labour jobs as they don't have sufficient water for farming. So we urge the state government to implement the project".
Meanwhile, an official in the PWD (WRO) said, "We cannot comment on the matter related to policy decisions."