COIMBATORE: Members of the Lower Bhavani Irrigation Protection Movement have appealed to PWD (water resources) officials, not to axe trees along the Lower Bhavani canals in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts. They said the ecology of the region would be destroyed if officials go ahead with the project to modernize the canal. The concrete lining work was taken up in 2013, but was suspended after a protest by farmers. Now officials have taken up the survey to axe trees.
Farmers on Wednesday conveyed their fears to DMK's Environmental wing secretary Karthikeyan Sivasenapathy. M Ravi, a farmer and former president of Murungatholuvu panchayat, said, "The officials plan to axe thousands of trees that are five decades old and native variety such as Vembu, banyan and palm, along the 200-km main distribution channel starting from Bhavanisagar dam till Mangalapatti in Karur, and 700-km distance of sub-channels passing through Tiruppur, Erode and Karur. The PWD is planning to modernize the Bhavani canal by laying concrete lining. If this work is taken up, more than 100 villages would become arid since large number of check dams are gets water through seepage from the lower Bhavani canal."
N Senthil Kumar, president of Nathakadaiyur panchayat, said, "In the last 15 years, we built nine check dams which helps augment groundwater level. Earlier, we used to get water at 300 feet but after building the check dams, we get water at 100 and 130 feet."
Ravi recalled that DMK chief MK Stalin during his campaign in Tiruppur in 2021 assured voters that the project will be implemented only after consulting with farmers and locals. "Hence, the state government should convene a meeting with us immediately," he said. Sivasenapathy said he would forward the farmers petition to CM MK Stalin and PWD Minister Durai Murugan.
A PWD official said the plan is to axe over 12, 000 trees that are grown inside the canal. "These are small, Vembu trees which damage the canal bed and prevent free flow of water. We will not be felling any tree that is on the bund till Mangalapatti. Also, we will plant 10 saplings for each tree axed," the official said.