Competing Demand for Water in Tamil Nadu: Urbanisation, Industrialisation and Environmental Damages in the Bhavani and Noyyal Basins (1880s-2000s)

This article attempts to analyse, in a historical perspective (1881-2002), the emergence of competing demand for water caused by the diversion of river basin water to meet the demand of the urban domestic use and industrial needs and its consequential damage to the ecology and environment, which further aggravated the problem, in the Bhavani and Noyyal river basins of Tamil Nadu. It examines the diversion of water for the domestic and industrial sectors that caused a great threat to the ecology, environment and health of the people and to the flora and fauna of these regions, which further aggravated the competing demand situation leading to 'water market' in the basin areas. Further, it also analyses the role of the state, how it further motivated the competing demand for water, thereby neglecting the ecology and environment of these river basins. On the one hand, it provides water to the pollutioncausing industries by diverting water from the river basins, where there is already an acute scarcity of water. On the other hand, the diverted water is getting polluted due to the ineffective pollution control measures of the state, further aggravating the situation for competing demand for water and worsening the environmental conditions in the river basins. In short, this article examines the proliferation factors for water demand creating competition in the basin areas and the consequence of environmental damages that not only created 'water market' but also posed great threat to the ecology, environment and people in the Bhavani and Noyyal river basins of Tamil Nadu since the late 19th century up till the early years of the 21st century (1881-2002).