This paper draws on the development and use of water resources in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP), with the LBP reservoir and the 84,000 hectare (ha) LBP command area. The project diverts water from the Bhavani River, a tributary of the Cauvery River, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The LBP was the first major irrigation project initiated in India after independence in 1947 and was in full operation by 1956. The LBP has had a
major impact on the socioeconomic development of the area, and continues to be a productive irrigated area.