After a prolonged delay, the much-anticipated Athikadavu-Avinashi water supply scheme is set to be inaugurated for public use by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on August 17.For over 60 years, residents of the drought-prone areas in Erode, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore districts have been demanding the implementation of the Athikadavu-Avinashi water supply scheme, which aims to divert water from the Bhavani River to these regions.
The foundation stone for the project was laid in December 2019 during the AIADMK government. Over the past four and a half years, work has been progressing steadily. The project is designed to pump water from the Bhavani River near the Kalingarayan Anicut over a distance of 1,065 kilometers through massive underground pipelines. The water will then be released back into the Bhavani River at Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district. Each year, 1.50 TMC of water will be transported through these pipelines.
To facilitate this, six water-lifting stations have been constructed at Bhavani, Nallakavundanpalayam, Thiruvachi, Bolanayakkanpalayam, Emmammpundi, and Annur, with the main pumping station located near the Kalingarayan Anicut.
The project will provide water to 1,045 drought-prone water bodies across three districts. A total of ₹1,916 crore has been spent on this project. Additionally, ₹9.83 crore has been allocated as compensation to over 1,600 farmers who provided land for the underground pipeline installation. This compensation process had caused delays in bringing the project into use.
Now, this issue has been resolved, and the project is ready for inauguration. On August 17, the first day of the Tamil month of Avani, Chief Minister Stalin will officially dedicate the scheme to the public. In preparation for the event, 469 cubic feet of surplus water per second is being released from the Kalingarayan Anicut.