Farmers seek lift irrigation project from Moyar as water scarcity grips Thalavadi

Severe water shortage has hit Thalavadi taluk, prompting residents and farmers to press for a lift irrigation project from the Moyar river to meet drinking water needs and augment groundwater recharge in the hill region.

The taluk, on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border and largely within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), comprises 28 revenue villages, 11 village panchayats, and 19 tribal hamlets. With a population of about 70,000, it serves as a catchment for the Suvarnavathy and Chikkahole dams in Karnataka, with runoff from the hills draining into these reservoirs.