Chennai, March 25 : The farmers of Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district residing near Harur, Karimangalam, and Morappur have demanded diversion of Thenpennai river's surplus water to nearby lakes to ensure that they get a regular irrigation facility. G.R. Swaminathan, a farmer from Harur, told IANS: "The Tamil Nadu Public Works Department had submitted a Rs 410 crore project report for Echambadi lift irrigation project in 2019. If the project would have been cleared, farmers would not have the uncertainty about shortage of water." He said that the then AIADMK government had proposed the Echambadi lift irrigation project to pump water from Thenpennai river and divert it to 66 lakes. However, after the government changed in 2021, the project was shelved. Swaminathan said that the 6,000 acres of cultivable land in and around the three villages is irrigated by the water from Thenpennai river. He said that there was good rainfall during the year and hence dams were filled with water. But this was not the case each year and hence the lift irrigation project was essential as the topography of the area was not conducive to harnessing the water. Thenpennai river is one of the major rivers of the state and if a lift irrigation project is implemented, then the water from the river can be diverted to more than 61 lakes around Harur, Karimangalam, and Morappur areas of Dharmapuri district. Recharging of these lakes would lead to the farmers getting water on a full-time basis for cultivation of crops. /IANS