Poor storage in Bhavanisagar dam worries LBP farmers

The low storage in the Bhavanisagar dam, with the reservoir holding less than five tmcft of water (4.86 tmcft), has left farmers in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) command area concerned about the prospects of cultivation in the coming months.

The dam supplies water through the LBP Canal, which irrigates 2.07 lakh acres in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts. River Bhavani also feeds the Kalingarayan Canal, which caters to 15,743 acres, and the Thadapalli and Arakkankottai channels, which irrigate 24,504 acres.

Poor rainfall in the catchment has resulted in the reservoir level falling below 52 feet (51.73 feet) on Thursday (August 27, 2026), against its full reservoir level of 105 feet. August 15 is the customary date for releasing water into the LBP Canal. However, owing to the poor storage this year, water was released for only 15 days from August 15 to help save standing crops in the LBP ayacut areas.

M. Ravi, convenor of the Keel Bhavani Pasana Pathukappu Iyakkam in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts, said farmers could miss a crop season if the dam did not receive adequate inflow in the next two months.

The inflow into the reservoir is around 1,600 cusecs against a discharge of 2,400 cusecs. Farmers said the LBP Canal water was important not only for irrigation but also for groundwater recharge through seepage and for supporting livestock.

With storage continuing to decline, farmers fear that water availability for cultivation could become increasingly uncertain unless the catchment receives adequate rainfall in the coming weeks.