TIRUPUR: The PAP Vellakovil Branch Canal (Kangayam – Vellakovil) Water Conservation Association in Tirupur district has announced a continuous hunger strike from Oct 29, demanding what they term their rightful share of irrigation water under the Parambikulam–Aliyar Project (PAP) through the Vellakovil branch canal. The protest is aimed at securing water supply to around 1,500 acres at the tail-end that farmers allege has been repeatedly denied irrigation despite higher drawals from the system.P Jegadeeshwaran, treasurer of the association, said the Vellakovil branch canal command covers 48,000 acres, split into four zones of 12,000 acres each, with water typically supplied to two zones a year — January to June and June to December. He said the Vellakovil–Kangayam stretch accounts for one-eighth of the ayacut irrigated from the Thirumoorthy dam, but tail-end supply remains incomplete.Farmers alleged that even as the drawal per rotation has risen from about 1 TMC to around 2.5 TMC, water does not reach the branch canal fully. “Only about 10,500 acres get water; around 1,500 acres are consistently left out,” Jegadeeshwaran said. He said the water resources department has cited theft and unaccounted losses but argued that distribution under PAP from Coimbatore to the Tirupur–Karur border should be equitable as per rules.Association president P Velusamy said farmers had pursued protests and legal remedies for over five years, alleging arbitrary administration despite “adequate water” in PAP reservoirs. Citing official PAP data, he claimed some branch canals were drawing 30% to 60% more than sanctioned limits.The association said it had sought raising the water level at the Vellakovil branch canal “zero point” from 4.5 ft to 4.8 ft. After a meeting at the Kangayam WRD sub-divisional office on Friday yielded no clear assurance, it decided to proceed with the hunger strike on the association premises on the Karur Road at Bhagavathipalayam Section in Veeranampalayam village, Kangayam.Farmers demanded implementation of a seven-day rotational supply at each sluice gate, as followed in other PAP command areas, and enforcement of PAP Act 20/1993 and Madras high court directions.Under PAP, about 4.25 lakh acres in Coimbatore and Tirupur receive irrigation, with Thirumoorthy dam irrigating about 3.77 lakh acres.
