Farmers from the Mauthampathi village today petitioned the Collector TN Hariharan to cancel the clearance given by the state government to a private liquor factory to take 150 cusecs of water per day from the Walayar River.

In the petition, irked farmers have claimed that the drawing of water by Imperial Spirits and Wines Pvt Ltd will not only reduce water in the river, but also bring down the groundwater levels in the area.

“Our farming solely depends on our wells in our fields. The wells would go dry if the groundwater is drawn and it will spell the end of farming and farming families in the area,” said A Dharmaraj, one of the petitioners.

The farmers alleged that the agreement between the state government and the liquor factory, allows the latter to dig pipes in lands belonging to farmers. “We were not aware of the fact until recently that the factory would be using up to 176.6 m of our lands to run the pipes that carry water from the river to the factory. This is a violation and will create a major hindrance to farming activities in our lands,” another farmer said. The farmers requested the collector to take necessary and immediate action on the issue.