Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for the extension, renovation and modernisation of Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) system, to be taken up at Rs. 933.10 crore, during his visit to Coimbatore on Thursday.

The LBP system comprises the LBP main canal that receives water from the Bhavani Sagar Dam and runs for 201 km irrigating 2.07 lakh hectares in the districts of Erode, Tiruppur and Karur. Also, the main canal feeds Arakkankottai and Thadapalli channels at Kodiveri anicut, while the Kalingarayan canal that runs for 90.5 km also comes under the system.

The total length of the system is 395 km and the objective of the project is to provide the right quantum of water at the right time for the total cultivable command area (CCA) by effective water utilisation and adopting conservancy strategies.

A senior engineer at the Public Works Department of Water Resources Organisation told The Hindu that the project is to be executed as six packages, first package – Rs. 194.15 crore, second – 127.65 crore, third – Rs. 198.23 crores, fourth – Rs. 189.55 crore, fifth – Rs. 76.80 crore and the sixth – Rs. 146.72 crore.

While packages one to four will be taken up in LBP canal, package five will cover Kalingarayan while package six will cover Thadapalli and Arakkankottai channels. Funding will be under NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance (NIDA), he added.

The works included rehabilitation and modernisation of the canals to improve the conveyance efficiency; rehabilitation of 741 sluices and repairs of 83 sluices; reconstruction of two aqueducts and repairs of eight aqueducts; reconstruction of 35 drainages and repairs of 141 drainages; repairs to two regulators, reconstruction of 32 bridges and repairs to 15 bridges; and construction of protection wall for distance of 34.86 metre.

The official said that works will be carried out only when discharge in the canals for irrigation was stopped and hence the completion period is two years. Implementation of this scheme will facilitate assured irrigation to an extent of 2,47,247 acres in three districts, the engineer said.