The Forest Department had sent a letter to the Water Resources Organisation of the Public Works Department (PWD), Bhavani Sagar Dam, in January this year citing the flurry of farming activities in the water spread area of the reservoir at Sirumugai in Coimbatore.
The letter, according to senior officials of the Department, said that farmers had begun to clear the water spread area of the dam for cultivation and it could further lead to human-animal conflict.
“We had informed the PWD that the farming activity might force farmers to use electric fencing to protect their crops and it would violate the order of the Madras High Court's which directed to remove electric fences in the water spread area of the dam,” said the official.
Following the High Court order in June 2018, the Forest Department and the PWD had together removed electric fences erected by farmers over a distance of 20 km along both sides of the water spread area of the dam. Later, the water spread area of the dam used for cultivation was submerged in water for several months after the monsoon. The water level receded by December and farmers started cultivation again in January.
When contacted, a senior official of the PWD said that cultivation has been going on in the leased lands in the water spread area since the commissioning of the dam.
“The cultivation is done only on lands leased by us. PWD do not have enough staff to check whether the farmers use illegal electric fences,” said the official.
As of now, farmers are cultivating in nearly 1,000 acre land in the water spread area at Sirmugai. Though the dam is situated in Erode district, the water spread area is extended up to Lingapuram near Sirumugai.
Nazar Ali, in whose banana plantation a wild elephant was found electrocuted on Wednesday, confessed to the Forest Department staff that the cables he used to power the electric fencing were dumped in the dam. He was remanded in judicial custody.