Kadaiyakudi villagers stage protest on parched lake bed, demand for water bodies to be filled

CHENNAI: Lakes in various villages near the Kallanai dam remain dry, prompting demands from farmers and the public for these water bodies to be replenished. As two of its biggest lakes are completely parched, the Kadaiyakudi village in Pudukottai district, the region closest to Kallanai, is facing severe shortage of water for agricultural and drinking purposes, according to a report from Daily Thanthi.

Affected villagers staged a protest on Tuesday standing on a parched lake bed under a scorching sun. Chanting slogans and holding empty pots and shovels, they demanded that the lakes in Kadaiyakudi be filled to meet agricultural and drinking water needs.

Bakiri Sami and Gandhi, members of the Communist Party of India's district executive committee and its central committe member Udayakumar Meiyazhagan, advocate Jeevakumar and other local leaders participated in Tuesday's protest.

The villagers emphasised called for urgent action to address the water scarcity and called on the authorities to ensure that the water being released from the Mettur Dam is utilised effectively to fill the lakes and ponds in the region.

Water was released from the Mettur Dam on July 28 and from Kallanai on July 31 to irrigate the Cauvery delta region. The government has instructed that this water should not be wasted and must be stored efficiently in lakes and ponds across the region.